Never More
by Jenna Riedell
Summary: When Aika Nakamura moves to Inaba at the start of the school year, a series of impossible murders shakes the sleepy town to its core. But things aren't what they seem, and before long, Aika, along with a few of her classmates, is forced to awaken to the power of Persona to solve this mystery. Persona 4 featuring a female protagonist.
1. Chapter 1

_And now, for a long, rambly author's note that probably makes you want to amputate each of my limbs as slowly and painfully as possible with a chainsaw. So basically, this is going to be Persona 4 with a female protagonist. Yes, I know it's been done before. I've only seen one version that got past the awakening of the initial Persona, and it's not even on this site (check out "Born to Fly" by signalbeam on Livejournal because it is AMAZING). But mine's different._

_Now I know what you're thinking: here's the rookie writer who thinks her version is going to be so amazingly original that no one could _ever_ hope to imagine something on this scale until, well, AFTER this is completed. AND YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. I ONLY HAVE THE VAGUEST IDEA OF WHAT I'M DOING. I guess what I mean to say is that there are some differences from canon, despite the obvious._

_So the female protagonist here is Aika Nakamura, the Aiya delivery girl from the anime who had all of tenish lines in the entire season. Does this mean Yu Narukami is going to be working at Aiya's and, by extension, a SOCIAL LINK? You betcha. But other differences from canon will be the Social Links themselves (as in, different characters will represent different arcana, like in P3P), and a big shocker: that Aika's Arcanum is NOT the Fool. Hey, Aigis is the Chariot, and she got the Wild Card, so Aika can too without being the Fool. In this particular case, she's the Hermit. There will be some differences in the plot itself with varying degrees of significance (there's going to be a pretty big one close to the end)._

_Also expect ginormous chapters. Because let's be real here: there WILL be instances where I'll take monster hiatuses, so the least you can do while I take said monster hiatuses is expect a giant, door-stopping chapter (like the one you're about to read right now!)_

_TL; DR. There will be deviations from canon besides the gender of the protagonist, and chapters will be long._

_And with that, I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

It all started with a dream, as most stories are wont to do.

In hindsight, the beginning – the _real_ beginning, not Aoandon's awakening, not even the first murder – was pretty anticlimactic. Aika Nakamura boarded the train from the sprawling city of Tokyo to the comparatively tiny town of Inaba early in the morning, hours before the sun even rose. It was to be a five hour train ride, and she found herself dozing off – whether it was because she was simply tired from getting up so early, or because she was bored, or if it was a subconscious defense mechanism against motion sickness, she didn't know.

But what Aika _did_ know was that she woke up later in a limousine lined with blue velvet, sitting in a surprisingly comfortable wooden chair across from a strange old man with a long nose, separated from him by a short wooden table. A foreign-looking woman with curly blonde hair and deep blue eyes sat next to him, absentmindedly filing her nails. The man had his hands clasped together, and though he didn't acknowledge her presence in any way, Aika could somehow tell that he knew she was there.

And then he looked up slowly, and he grinned widely, yet cryptically. "Welcome to the Velvet Room," he said, and the blonde woman smiled and nodded in her direction. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. Now, my dear… Would you like to hear your fortune?"

Aika could tell she was in a dream; it was as if there was a thick fog in her mind, though she felt calmer and more relaxed than she was on the train. "Yes please," Aika said, nodding.

Igor's grin widened, and as he waved his arm over the table, several cards were scattered face down. "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different…" He chuckled. "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?" He flicked his wrist, and a card on the table flipped over. "The Tower, in the upright position. This card represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent. And the card indicating the future beyond that is…" He flicked his wrist again, and the adjacent card flipped over. "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents hesitation and mystery. Very interesting indeed…"

"What does that mean?" Aika asked.

Igor simply chuckled. "It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you."

Aika couldn't say she was looking forward to any great mystery. "Can't you flip over those other cards and give me a few more details?"

"All in due time, my dear," Igor said, and there was something about the way he smiled at her that seemed almost warmer than any of his previous, though equally wide grins were. "In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of sorts, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests and ensure that that does not happen." He waved his arm over the table, and the cards disappeared."

"So you're saying I actually have to _solve_ this mystery?" Aika asked. "Or I could die? What if the mystery doesn't have anything to do with me? Does that mean I still have to solve it?"

"We shall attend to the details at another time," Igor said. "Until then, farewell, Master Aika."

Her vision darkened, and Aika squinted, then widened her eyes in a vain attempt to see the room of blue velvet. "Wait!" Aika yelled, struggling against the darkness. "I don't understand!" Then, everything faded to black.

Aika jerked awake with a gasp, nearly kicking the seat in front of her. She pulled a water bottle out of her bag and sipped it slowly, thankful that she didn't feel too sick despite the long train ride. She felt tired, despite the fact that she'd slept for nearly the entire ride, and it was as if she hadn't woken up at all. "Yasoinaba," a voice echoed through the train car. "Yasoinaba." Aika stood up, slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder and pulling her suitcase behind her as she stepped off the train, breathing in deeply to relish the clean, crisp country air.

A scruffy-looking man waited just outside the train station, waving his arm above his head. "Over here!" he called. Aika smiled and rushed over immediately, and her uncle, Ryotaro Dojima, held his hand out for her to shake. "Well, you've certainly grown a lot since I last saw you. Welcome to Inaba, Aika."

"Hi Uncle," Aika greeted. She'd met her mother's brother sporadically throughout the years (her parents' line of work didn't exactly leave room for family reunions), and until recently, she could barely place a face to his name.

"Oh, that's right…" Uncle mused. "We haven't seen each other since Nanako was just a baby, haven't we? Oh!" There was a little girl hiding behind his leg, whom he gently pushed to the front. "Here she is. Introduce yourself to your cousin, Nanako." Nanako looked like she'd rather be anywhere else but there. She bowed her head once and mumbled a quick greeting without quite meeting Aika's eyes.

Still Aika mustered a smile for her little cousin. If they were going to spend a year living together (and possibly spending more time than Aika did with her own mother), they might as well get to know each other. "It's nice to meet you too, Nanako," she said as gently as she possibly could, talking as slowly as necessary to avoid stuttering.

"Here, I'll get that for you," Uncle said, taking Aika's suitcase from her and dragging it toward a parked white car. "Let's get going, shall we?" Aika smiled and nodded, placing her duffel bag in the trunk along with her suitcase before climbing into the backseat while Nanako took the front.

There was a time Aika believed that nothing could be worse than a five-hour train ride, but the ridiculously bumpy and uneven roads of Inaba proved her wrong. Her stomach rolled and her head throbbed, and she closed her eyes and desperately tried to fall asleep to stave off the rapidly growing nausea. "Dad?" Nanako piped up, coming to Aika's rescue. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"Couldn't you go before we left?" Uncle asked, sounding only slightly irritated.

"I didn't have to go then," Nanako replied sheepishly, and Uncle pulled into a gas station, much to Aika's relief. Aika practically tumbled out of the car, taking deep breaths and mentally preparing to run to the bathroom if her nausea proved to be too much for her to handle. When she was sure she wasn't going to vomit, she leaned against the car, sighing in relief.

The gas station attendant, who previously paid Aika no mind, grinned at her. "Carsick?" she asked.

"A little," Aika admitted, using the back of her hand to wipe sweat off her forehead."

The attendant merely laughed. "You're new here, aren't you? I can tell. You've got 'city girl' written all over you."

"Well I've lived in the country just as much as I've lived in the city," Aika pointed out.

"But I bet you've never seen a town as tiny as Inaba, right?" the attendant retorted. "There's so little to do here, you'll get bored pretty fast. Mostly, all you'll be doing is hanging out with friends and doing some part-time jobs."

The latter was perfectly fine with Aika. The 'hanging out with friends' part… that was a different story entirely. "You don't say…" She took a deep breath, still feeling a little queasy, but no longer sick to her stomach.

"Speaking of which," the attendant continued, "we're actually looking for some part-time help right now." She extended her hand to Aika and gave a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You're kind of young, but I think you'll be a good fit. Give it some thought, why don't you?" Aika forced a smile and shook the attendant's hand out of politeness more than anything. "I should get back to work." The attendant gave a small wave. "Nice talking to you!"

Then, all of a sudden, the world spun, and the floor seemed to drop out from before Aika's feet. Her vision blurred, and she had to lean against the car to keep from keeling over. Are you okay?" she hard Nanako ask, as if from far away. When did she get back from the bathroom?

"I'm fine," Aika gasped as the world slowly started coming back into focus.

"You don't look too good…" Nanako mumbled, frowning slightly.

Aika pressed her palm against her forehead, almost slumping to the floor in dizziness. "I just got a little carsick," she told both Nanako and herself.

Uncle returned at that moment, flicking a cigarette into a garbage bin. "What's wrong?" he asked automatically upon seeing Aika. "You okay?" Aika pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut and bending her head forward in a desperate attempt to make the world stop spinning. "Oh, that's right. Masami mentioned that you get carsick easily. Besides, you've had a long trip, so you're probably exhausted."

The strange gas station attendant came to mind; did she do something to Aika? "Yeah, that's probably it."

"Are you ready to go?" Uncle asked her, still frowning in concern. "Home's not too far from here, but let me know if you need to pull over anyway."

Aika resisted the urge to groan. _Wouldn't that be embarrassing, throwing up in Uncle's car… And on the first day, no less…_ As she climbed into the car, her head began to throb mercilessly. The entire ride back, she shut her eyes and leaned her head against the car window, thankful for the cool glass against her skin. Her stomach was rolling, but at this point, anything was better from the near crippling dizzy spell at the gas station. The car pulled into the driveway of a fairly modest house – still much larger than any of the apartments Aika had stayed at. Large enough for three people, at the very least – that was enough.

"Well, this is it," Uncle said as the three of them exited the car. Aika inhaled deeply, already feeling a little better. "Our tiny little corner of paradise." He slid open the door. "Kitchen's over here," he said, gesturing to his left. "Living room over there." He pointed forward. "Bathroom down the hall." He led her up to a room upstairs, flicking on the light switch as they entered. "This is your room," he said. The room itself was fairly large – it had a couch, a futon, a small TV set, and a desk – much larger than what Aika was used to. "Do you like it?"

Aika gave her uncle a reassuring smile, practically collapsing onto the couch. "It's great," she told him. "Thank you for letting me stay here, Uncle."

Uncle chuckled and scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "There's no need to be so formal, Aika," he told her. "We're family." Aika simply nodded. "I'll get dinner ready," Uncle said. "You hungry? Or do you still feel sick?"

"Sorry," Aika mumbled sheepishly. "I think I'll be fine in a little bit. Don't worry." She still felt rather light-headed, despite what felt like an axe slamming repeatedly into her forehead. Her stomach felt like it was made of water; she wanted nothing more than to unroll the futon right then and there and sleep.

"It makes me wonder how you survived a five hour train ride," Uncle muttered, partially to himself, as he sat down next to her.

Aika smiled. "Mom booked me on the earliest train possible so that I'd be tired enough to sleep right through it."

Uncle smirked. "Well Masami's always been the resourceful one," he said. "Just come down when you're ready." He clapped her on the back twice before standing up and leaving her alone.

Aika sighed. This was only a temporary thing, she reminded herself. One year. That was it. She'd be reunited with her parents soon enough. All she had to do was follow the standard operating procedure with Inaba, as she did with all of the other cities she'd lived in, and she'd be fine. And then one more year after that, and she'd be in college, and she could finally settle down in one place without having to move anywhere…

Her cell phone's ringtone cut through the silence of her new room, and Aika fumbled for it before answering it several seconds later. "Hello?" she said into the phone.

"Aika!" her mother practically screeched on the other line. "Did you arrive safely in Inaba? Did you get sick on the train? Is Ryo-chan being nice to you? Is Nanako-chan cute? Did you unpack everything yet?"

"Yes, no, yes, yes, no," Aika answered quickly, already used to her mother's behavior.

"So how is everything?" Masami Nakamura asked her, and Aika could just picture her mother lounging in a chair, putting her feet up on whatever table or surface was available, probably inspecting her fingernails or smoking a cigarette as she did so. "Do you like it there?"

"Mom, I just got here," Aika deadpanned. "I won't know until tomorrow."

"Okay, so call me and let me know how things go, okay?" Mom told her. "Keep me updated."

"Will do," Aika replied, examining her own uneven fingernails.

"Oh, I'm going to miss you so much… Hang on, your father wants to talk to you."

Aika could hear movement on the other line for a few brief seconds. "Hello?" a male voice said finally. "Aika-chan?"

Aika couldn't help but smile, and she found it more and more difficult to ignore the lump in her throat. "Hi, Dad."

"It's only for a year, Aika-chan," her father, Fuuji Nakamura told her. "So don't worry, okay? And don't give your uncle a hard time… not that I think you would, but I think I'm obligated to tell you that anyway." Aika giggled. "I'll take as many pictures as I can. You've always wanted to visit France, right? Maybe we can go later, on an actual vacation."

"Yeah, that would be great," Aika said. "I should get going. Uncle has dinner ready downstairs."

"Well, have fun," Dad told her. "Be safe. Take care."

"Bye, Dad," Aika said, hanging up the phone. She could feel tears forming in her eyes; this would be the first time she'd be spending so much time away from her parents, after all. She remembered begging them to take her to France with them; with all the French phrases they threw around at home, she'd be able to survive there, right? She could become fluent with a little practice, right? But her parents didn't see it that way, which was why she was in Inaba with her uncle. When Aika finally composed herself, she made her way downstairs, where Uncle and Nanako sat at a small table in front of the TV.

"Over here!" Uncle called, gesturing toward the seat next to him, across from Nanako. Aika sat down and smiled. "You feeling better?" Aika forced a smile and nodded. A plate of sushi lay in front of her, with a can of soda lying a little ways away. "All right, let's have a toast," Uncle said, raising his can into the air. Aika and Nanako raised theirs as well before drinking. "So your parents are as busy as always… They're working overseas, was it?"

"Yeah," Aika answered, not really wanting to have this conversation with him. "They're going to France. I mean, they haven't left yet, but they'll be there in about a week."

Uncle sighed. "I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents… It's rough being a kid."

"I like it here, actually," Aika said, taking another sip from her soda can, "from what I've seen so far. Not that I want to go riding across town in a car or anything, but…"

Uncle laughed. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine," he said. "It's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having someone like you around. As long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home."

Aika smiled more naturally and nodded. "Okay!"

"Okay, so let's eat," Uncle said, and the three lifted their chopsticks. Just then, a cell phone started ringing, and Uncle reached into his back pocket. "Ugh… who's calling at this hour?" He flipped open his phone and held it to his ear. "Dojima speaking." He stood up and made his way to the kitchen, and Nanako's face fell. "Yeah? I see… So where is it?"

"What's that about?" Aika whispered to Nanako.

"Work," Nanako mumbled, looking utterly despondent.

"All right, I'm on my way," Uncle said finally, hanging up his phone and turning around to face Aika and Nanako. "Sorry, but I have some business to take care of. Go ahead and eat without me. I don't know how late I'll be, so you help her out, okay Nanako?"

"Okay…" Nanako mumbled.

Aika watched as Uncle opened the door and slid on his shoes. "Nanako, it's raining out!" he called. "What did you do with the laundry?"

"I already brought it in!" Nanako yelled to him.

"All right," Uncle said. "Well, I'm off!"

Nanako sighed heavily and sat back down, pressing a button on the remote lying next to her to turn on the TV. An awkward silence reigned, and Aika didn't know whether to break it or to carry on like nothing was wrong. "Next, let's look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather," said the weather announcer on TV. "With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas."

"Let's eat," Nanako said finally.

"Oh!" Aika gasped, noticing that she was still holding her chopsticks. "R-Right…" Another awkward silence enveloped the room, and Aika was dismayed to find that she still felt a little queasy from before. "So…" she said awkwardly, trying to place down her chopsticks as subtly as possible so as to not offend Nanako. "What does your dad do?"

"He… investigates stuff," Nanako answered. "Like crime scenes."

"So he's a detective?" Aika asked.

Nanako nodded once. "Yeah."

A jingle played on TV, and the scene switched to one reporter. "And now, for the local news," the announcer said. An image of an important-looking man flashed on the screen. "City council secretary Taro Namatame is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages." An image of a heavily made up woman appeared on the screen. "In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances." A wholesome-looking woman with short dark hair flashed on the screen, replacing Hiiragi. "Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she'll remain off the air and out of the public eye."

"That's not entirely fair," Aika muttered to herself. "Yeah, what that Yamano lady did was wrong, but that doesn't mean she deserves to be _fired_…"

"This is boring…" Nanako mumbled before promptly changing the channel. Aika was a little annoyed, but decided not to say anything back to her cousin.

"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day," said a woman's voice on the commercial playing. "Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!"

And then a singing voice: "Every day's great at your Junes!"

Nanako's face lit up, and she smiled brightly. "Every day's great at your Junes!" she repeated.

At that, Aika bristled. Her parents worked for Satomi Tadashi, the best pharmacy company in Japan. Who was Junes to come in and sell the same medicines that Satomi Tadashi did?

"Aren't you going to eat?" Nanako asked her.

"Oh!" Aika gasped. "Um…"

"You're still carsick, aren't you?" Nanako asked, looking glum. "It's okay. Mana-chan from school gets really carsick too."

"I'll be fine tomorrow, Nanako," Aika assured her cousin. "Don't worry. I think I'll go to bed, though. Don't stay up too late, okay?"

It was probably the wrong thing to say, because Nanako frowned quizzically at her. "Good night," the little girl said finally, as Aika approached the stairs. When Aika finally collapsed on her futon, she was asleep within seconds.

* * *

All Aika could see was fog. There was so much of it, she could barely see a few feet in front of her, and the air was chilly. A shiver ran down her spine, only partially from the cold, and she trudged forward, not entirely sure what was happening.

After a few steps, there was a shrill ringing noise, making Aika feel dizzy. "Do you seek the truth?" a woman's voice asked. Aika continued walking, but at a slower pace, and she mentally prepared herself for the voice to speak again. Sure enough, it came after a few more steps. "If it's truth you desire, come and find me…"

At long last, Aika saw what appeared to be an ornate door, with red and black squares overlapping each other, increasing in length, looking somewhat like a vortex. She could tell that there was someone behind the door, but a large part of her dreaded it. Still, unsure of what else to do, what else she _could_ do, Aika watched as the squares rotated and the door opened. Inside, the fog was much thicker than it was outside, and Aika could see a faint silhouette in front of her. "So…" the figure said, and Aika soon realized that it was the woman's voice from before. "You are the one pursuing me…" The voice chuckled. "How quaint. Try all you like, but you will not catch me so easily…"

"Wh-Who are you?" Aika asked, cursing herself for stuttering.

"If what you seek is 'truth,' then your search will be even harder…"

"Wait!" Aika yelled. "I don't understand!" But then the fog thickened, and it suddenly became hard to breathe.

"Everyone sees only what they want to," the voice continued, "and the fog only deepens…"

"Wh-What…" Aika's head felt heavy, and she slowly sank to her knees.

"Will we meet again?" the voice asked cryptically. "At a place other than here… I look forward to it." And with that, the world around her faded into black as Aika lost consciousness…

Aika jerked awake, back in her new room, tangled in her futon and drenched in sweat, and her stomach rolled as she sprinted to the bathroom. Before she could process what was happening, she was emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Her head pounded mercilessly as she soon found herself dry heaving, as there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up.

"Are you okay?" Aika heard Nanako ask, as if from far away. She realized with a sinking feeling that she'd forgotten to lock the door, and she probably looked absolutely pathetic at the moment, getting sick not even a day after arriving.

"I'm sorry," Aika said.

"Maybe you shouldn't go to school today…" Nanako mumbled.

But Aika stood up and washed her hands, preparing to dig through her bags to find a toothbrush. "It's okay," she said. "I'm fine now."

"You said that yesterday…" Nanako mumbled.

Aika pinched the bridge of her nose. _Ugh, this is so embarrassing... She probably thinks I'm this really weak, sickly person… _"Really, Nanako," she tried assuring her cousin. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Nanako asked, her face perfectly expressionless.

"Yes," Aika said firmly. "Really, Nanako. This kind of thing happens all the time, and it's stupid to let it hold me back." Well that wasn't a _complete_ lie… Getting ready for school was awkward, to say the least, because Nanako refused to stop asking her if she was okay or if she needed anything. All the while, Aika's head throbbed, and she sorely contemplated skipping the first day of school, just as Nanako had suggested.

When Aika finally made her way downstairs, Nanako was holding out a plate of slightly burned bread and a glass of water to her. "I heard that you're supposed to eat dry stuff if you have an upset stomach," she said. "And you should eat something if you're going to school."

"Thanks, Nanako," Aika said, biting into one of the pieces of toast. "Did your dad leave for work already?"

"There was some kind of trouble," she said in a flat voice. "He won't be back." Aika took a sip of water, relieved that the nausea was subsiding. "Let's walk to school together. Mine's on the way."

"That's a great idea," Aika agreed.

The rest of breakfast passed by in awkward silence, and, when it was time to leave, Nanako opened a closet door and handed Aika a red umbrella. "Here, you can use this one," she said. "It rains a lot in Inaba, so you'll be using it a lot. You can use it for the rest of the year, if you want."

"Thanks, Nanako," Aika said, forcing a smile for her cousin as she took the umbrella. They walked together in relative silence, and Aika was thankful for the clean, albeit slightly muggy air that Inaba had to offer. Though she preferred sunshine, rain wasn't so bad either.

"This is the Samegawa Flood Plain," Nanako said once they reached a certain area. "All the schools are around this area." She pointed to the continuing road. "You keep going straight from here." She walked a few steps in another direction and smiled at Aika. "My school's this way. Bye!"

"Bye, Nanako!" Aika said. "Have a good day!"

* * *

Yasogami High School was much smaller than what Aika was used to, but she didn't mind; she was only going to be here for a year, after all. If it were sunny, the school could even be called beautiful, but the rainclouds hovering above made the atmosphere feel gloomy. A panicked shout snapped her out of her thoughts, and Aika saw a boy on an unsteady bike speeding toward her. "Mayday!" the boy shouted. "Mayday!" She barely ducked out of the way in time for the boy to crash into the school gate. The boy groaned in pain, and Aika bent down to help him pick up his things.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, shoving a few books and a DVD back into his bag.

"Ow…" the boy groaned, rubbing his shin.

"D-Do you need to go to the nurse's office?" Aika asked him, tilting her head to the side.

"Nah, I'm okay," the boy replied. "Thanks." He turned around to take his bag, only to frown in confusion when he saw Aika. "I don't think I've seen you here before. Are you new here?"

"Y-Yeah…" Aika mumbled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously.

The boy miraculously recovered as quickly as he fell, and he flashed her a smile while extending his hand out to her. "I'm Yosuke Hanamura," he introduced himself.

Aika shook his hand uneasily. His hand was large, and it nearly swallowed her small one whole, but she still felt at ease with him. "Aika Nakamura," she said quietly.

"So you're going to want to head to the faculty office," Yosuke said. He led her into the school, putting one arm around her shoulder and using the other to shove past the crowds. "Watch out! New meat coming through!" Aika felt her face heat up as he practically dragged her through the school's halls, and couldn't be more thankful when he stopped in front of one door. "Okay, here we are," he said. "The teachers here are nice, for the most part. Except King Moron. He's an ass." He released her finally, and she opened the door. "Good luck!" He waved and smiled before running off into the crowds, and Aika sighed. This was how things usually were in new schools anyway – people would be nice for the first few days, and then leave her alone. It was inevitable. She braced herself as she entered the faculty office. _Only one year_, she reminded herself. _Only one year._

* * *

Aika nearly had to run to keep up with Mr. Morooka's long strides. The teacher was foul-mouthed and bad-tempered, and she realized with a sinking feeling that this was the King Moron Yosuke had warned her against. "All right, shut your traps!" Mr. Morooka yelled as he entered the classroom. Aika clasped her hands together and stared at her feet, knowing that pretty much the entire class's eyes were on her. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!" Aika felt her face heat up. How long was she going to have to stand at the front of her class? "Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student. This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And she's just as much of a nobody here as she was there, so you boys better not get any funny ideas! Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick!"

"Yes—Yes sir!" Aika squeaked, quickly turning to the chalkboard behind her and writing her name as neatly as she could, despite her shaking hands. The first-day-of-school jitters were something she could never quite shake off, despite how often she'd transferred schools. "I-I'm Aika Nakamura. U-Um… It's-It's nice to meet you all!" She bowed her head quickly, leaving her head lowered so she could stare at the ever fascinating floor.

"Now listen up!" Mr. Morooka barked. "This town is miles away from your big city of bitches and whores, in more ways than one. You better not even _think_ of getting involved with the guys here, let alone screwing around with them!"

"Y-Yes sir!" Aika squeaked.

"But what do I know?" Mr. Morooka continued. "It's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your _life-journals_ and your _my-places_!"

Aika wanted to melt like that witch in that American movie her parents had showed her when she was little. When would Mr. Morooka stop lecturing? When could she finally sit down and fade into the background like she always did? Her classmates' whispers did nothing to ease her fears.

"Wow, she's tiny."

"Is she really our age? She looks like she's still in grade school!"

"I think she's pretty cute."

"Please. She's _nothing_ compared to Amagi and Ebihara."

A short-haired girl in a green jacket came to Aika's rescue, raising her arm in the air. "Excuse me!" the girl called. "Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?"

"Huh?" Mr. Morooka stopped mid-sentence. "Yeah, sure. Hear that? Your seat's over there." He pointed to an empty seat next to the girl in the green jacket, and Aika sighed in relief as she shuffled over.

The girl leaned over as soon as Aika sat down. "He's the worst, huh?" the girl asked. "Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class… Well, we just have to hang in there for a year."

Aika smiled uneasily at the girl and nodded. "Y-Yeah…"

"Shut your traps!" Mr. Morooka yelled. "I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!"

"Just make sure you don't get on his bad side," the short-haired girl whispered to Aika.

_It's only one year_, Aika reminded herself. _Only one year…_

* * *

"That's all for today," Mr. Morooka barked after several hours. "Normal lectures start tomorrow.

Aika sighed, packing her bag quickly so she could slip out of the classroom before anyone tried to talk to her, but then there was a beeping noise. "Attention, all teachers," said a voice over the intercom. "Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."

The students began murmuring to each other, and Aika once again wished she could just become one with the floor. Then, there was a ringing noise, and everyone looked up to the speaker near the door simultaneously, quieting down immediately. "Attention all teachers," said a voice over the intercom. "Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave until further notice."

"You heard the announcement!" Mr. Morooka barked. "Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise!" He slid the classroom door open and stalked off, and the students murmured anxiously to each other.

Faintly, Aika could hear sirens from outside. "Did something happen?" one student asked. "Don't those sirens sound really close?"

One student by the window groaned. "I can't see a damn thing. Frickin' fog…"

"Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy," another student agreed.

"Hey, did you hear?" a rumor-loving student asked. "I hear that paparazzi's looking all over for that announcer."

"Oh yeah, you mean Mayumi Yamano, right?" one of the first two students replied. "I hear some guys spotted her at the shopping district.

"Actually, I heard that…" one of the other students retorted, and Aika slowly tuned out their conversation. She clutched her bag tightly to her chest, staring downward and all too ready to bolt once the school let everyone leave.

One of the boys walked up to a desk a little ways in front of Aika, where a girl in a red sweater with long black hair sat demurely. "H-Hey, Yukiko-san," the boy said. "Mind if I ask you something? Is it true that that announcer's staying at your family's inn?"

"I can't discuss such things," the girl Yukiko said bluntly.

"Y-Yeah, I guess not," the boy said before running back to the window.

The friendly girl next to Aika stood up and walked over to Yukiko. "Sheesh, how much longer is this gonna take?" she grumbled.

"There's no telling," Yukiko replied.

"I should've left before the announcement came on…" the girl muttered despondently. "By the way, did you try what I told you the other day? You know, the thing about rainy nights."

"Oh, not yet," Yukiko replied reluctantly. "Sorry."

"Ah, that's okay," the short-haired girl said. "I just heard a guy in the class next door yell something like, 'My soulmate is Yamano, the announcer!'"

The ringing noise came once again. "Attention all students," said a voice over the intercom. "There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home."

Aika felt her heart racing as she rummaged through her bag for her cell phone. She flipped it open – no new messages, as usual – and called her uncle. The phone rang three times, before sending her straight to his voicemail, and she sighed before flipping her phone shut. "Couldn't get through to your parents, huh?" the short-haired girl who sat next to Aika said, and Aika suddenly realized that she was standing right there in front of her. "You can come with us. Oh, I almost forgot. I'm Chie Satonaka. I sit next to you, remember?"

"I-I remember…" Aika mumbled self-consciously, looking downward. This happened at every new school – someone would come talk to her, more out of some self-professed "responsibility" towards "the transfer student," then gradually leave her alone when she made it clear that she didn't want anything to do with them since she probably wasn't going to be there for long anyway.

"This is Yukiko Amagi," Chie said, and Aika's eyes drifted over to the tall black-haired girl from before.

"It's nice to meet you," Yukiko said. "Sorry, what was your name again?"

"Aika Nakamura," Aika answered; it seemed to be the only thing she could say without stuttering.

"So let's go already!" Chie enthused, and Aika gave a small smile as she stood up and shuffled behind her two new classmates.

"Um…" The boy from this morning stood in front of them, looking rather bleak, holding a black DVD case. "Miss Satonaka? This was really awesome. Like the way they moved was just amazing to see… And… I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy until my next paycheck!" He bent forward, holding the DVD out to Chie.

Aika almost giggled at the way he walked away as quickly as possible without making it look like he was trying to run away. "Stop right there!" Chie commanded. "What did you do to my DVD?" She kicked Yosuke a little too far below the stomach for comfort, sending him crashing into a desk. Chie stared at the open DVD case in horror. "What the…? I can't believe this! It's completely cracked! My 'Trial of the 'Dragon…!"

"I think mine's cracked too…" Yosuke whimpered. "C-Critical hit to the nads…"

"A-Are you all right?" Yukiko asked.

"Oh, Yukiko-san…" Yosuke, who was still grimacing in pain, mumbled. "Are you worried about me…?"

"He's fine, Yukiko!" Chie snapped. "Let's just ditch him and go home!"

"W-Wait!" someone squeaked. It took an embarrassingly long time for Aika to realize that it was her. "U-Um… please—please don't be mad, Chie-san. He-He sort of fell on-on his bike this morning, a-and that's—that's probably how the DVD… got cracked…"

"Oh hey, it's you…!" Yosuke said, smiling weakly at Aika. "That's twice you've saved me, you know…"

"And now you're trying to the appeal to the innocent new transfer student?" Chie screeched. "How low can you get? Come on, Aika-san, let's just go."

Chie and Yukiko walked out the door, and Aika bowed shakily to Yosuke before following them. "E-Excuse me…" She had to run to catch up to Chie and Yukiko, and she managed to catch the tail end of Chie's rant on Yosuke.

"Ugh, he drives me crazy!" Chie ranted. "First he asks for an _extension_, and _then_ he tries to return _a broken DVD_."

"It really did sound like it was just an accident," Yukiko tried reasoning with her.

"I…" Aika piped up. "I saw him fall… so it-it definitely was an accident…"

"You stutter a lot," Chie pointed out. "Did you know that? You don't have to be so shy and nervous around us."

"Th-Thank you…" Aika mumbled quietly, mentally starting the counter on the number of days Chie would hold true to that statement.

"So you're from the city?" Yukiko asked her.

"Um…" Aika mumbled. "N-Not really. I-I only lived there for about six months."

"So if not from the city, then where _are_ you from?" Chie asked.

"I-I was born here… actually…" Aika answered. "I… I only lived here for a couple of years before moving, though… Then we moved to this city called Mikage-cho, where we lived for about three years, a-and then we moved again, and we kept moving since."

"Wow," Yukiko gasped. "I've lived here my entire life. You really haven't stayed in one place for more than three years before?" Aika shook her head, smiling sheepishly.

They neared the front of the school gate, and Aika couldn't help but notice a boy wearing a different uniform. His face was pale, his dark hair oily and his equally dark eyes almost expressionless, and something about him sent a shiver down her spine. He approached them, looking straight at Yukiko. "You're Yuki, right?" he asked. "Y-You want to go hang out somewhere?"

"What?" Yukiko replied. "Wh-Who are you?"

"Um…" the boy mumbled, and Aika felt a pang of sympathy for him. "S-So are you coming or not?"

"I-I'm not going," Yukiko answered uncertainly.

The boy suddenly glared at her, shifting his glare to Chie and Aika as well. "Fine!" he yelled almost petulantly before practically sprinting away.

"What did he want from me?" Yukiko mused.

"What did he want?" Chie repeated. "Obviously, he was asking you out on a date."

"Really?" Yukiko gasped.

"You really had no clue?" Chie asked disbelievingly. "Sheesh…"

"D-Does this happen a lot?" Aika asked.

"The guys around here call it the Amagi Challenge," Chie explained. "The only way you can beat it is if you get Yukiko to agree to go on a date with you, but she's so busy and oblivious that no one ever succeeds." All of a sudden, Aika wanted to get as far away from these girls as possible. They were _popular_ – there was no way she could break away from them without looking bad. "Then again, that was _way_ over the top. It was so creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Yosuke wheeled his bike over to them. "Yo, Yukiko-san," he greeted casually. "Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel… You got me the same way last year."

"I don't recall doing that," Yukiko said bluntly.

"Whoa, you serious?" Yosuke asked, perking up almost immediately. "So then, you wanna hang out sometime?"

"I'd rather not," Yukiko replied flatly.

Yosuke sighed heavily. "That'll teach me to get my hopes up… Anyway, you two better not pick on the new transfer student too much."

As he biked away, Chie stomped her foot indignantly. "We're just curious, is all!"

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this," Yukiko apologized to Aika, smiling down at her. "I promise, it's not always like this."

"Come on, let's just go already!" Chie hissed. "Everyone's staring!"

Aika released the breath she didn't even know she was holding as soon as she, Chie, and Yukiko were almost a block away from the school. First days at new schools were a special kind of evil that Aika wouldn't wish on anyone. "So what made you decide to come back to your hometown?" Yukiko asked conversationally. "If you can really call it that, considering you said you only lived here for a couple years."

"U-Um, my parents are working overseas," Aika explained. "I'm staying with my uncle for the whole year."

"Oh, so you came here because of your parents' job," Chie said, chuckling. "I thought it was something way more serious." They paused by what appeared to be a rice field. "There really is nothing here, huh? That's what makes it nice, but there's nothing much we can show to people from outside. Though there is something from Mount Yasogami. I think our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous." She gasped. "Oh, wait! The Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!"

"It's just an old inn," Yukiko protested.

"No way," Chie refuted. "It's been in all sorts of magazines as a hidden treasure. It's a great inn. It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take it over someday. Their inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going."

"Th-That's really amazing," Aika said, smiling up at Yukiko. Both Chie and Yukiko were quite a bit taller than she was; maybe she really _did_ look like she was still in grade school.

"I don't think that's entirely true," Yukiko said modestly.

Off in the distance, Aika could see a crowd gathered. "What's going on over there?" she asked, pointing to the crowd.

"No idea," Chie answered, and the three of them broke into a run to see what exactly was going on.

"So that high schooler left early, and she came down this street…" Aika heard one woman say.

"Wow, who could imagine _that_ hanging from an antenna?" another woman asked.

"I wanted to see it too," a third woman practically whined.

"Uh, you got here too late," the first woman said. "The police and fire department just took it down a moment ago."

"Well I think it's terrifying!" the second woman exclaimed. "I can't believe a dead body showed up around here…"

"A dead body?" Aika squeaked, her hands starting to go numb. Well, Yasogami High officially just won the award for Most Eventful First Day Ever.

"I swear, this doesn't happen all the time," Yukiko assured Aika.

"First getting stuck in King Moron's class, then having a dead body pop up…" Chie said. "Wow, I'm sorry! This has to be the worst first day of school ever!"

"Hey, what're you doing here?" an all too familiar voice snapped over the buzz of the crowd. With a sinking feeling in her gut, Aika watched her uncle walk over to her.

"I-I'm sorry!" Aika apologized immediately. "W-We were just walking home from school, a-and—"

"Should've known something like that'd happen," Uncle grumbled. "That damn principal… We told him not to let them through here."

"You know this guy?" Chie whispered to Aika, loudly enough for Uncle to hear.

"I'm Detective Dojima, her guardian," Uncle said. "Uh… how should I say this… I hope you get along with her. But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home." Just then, a man in a black suit ran past them, and Aika winced as she heard him retch loudly. "Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie? Do you want to get sent back to the central office?"

"S-Sorry…" the man Adachi groaned.

Uncle sighed. "Just go wash your face. We're gonna go around and gather information!" Uncle turned back to Aika, and she wished for the umpteenth time that she could just dissolve into the floor. "Call your parents when you get back. I'll see you at home." And with that, he walked off, and Aika clasped her hands together nervously.

"Was this what that announcement was about?" Chie asked.

"What do they mean…" Yukiko mused. "It was hanging from the antenna…?"

"Uh… Yukiko…" Chie said awkwardly. "Why don't we go to Junes some other time?"

"Good idea," Yukiko replied, nodding.

"All right then, we're taking off," Chie said to Aika. "Starting tomorrow, neighbor, let's do our best!"

"Okay," Aika replied, giving a small smile. "Um… I-It was really nice meeting you!"

* * *

Back at home, Nanako was doing homework at the dining table. "Hi Nanako," Aika greeted tiredly.

"Hello," Nanako replied distractedly. The TV was on, and a majority of the little girl's attention was directed toward it.

Aika made her way upstairs, shutting the door before collapsing onto the couch. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her mother's number right away.

Her father picked up on the first ring. "Aika, are you okay?" he asked automatically. "I just saw the news! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Dad," Aika assured him.

He sighed in relief. "Oh, good… Masami, maybe this wasn't such a good idea…" She could hear her mother saying something on the other line, but Aika couldn't make out what exactly it was. "I'm not saying Ryotaro isn't capable of looking after her…" Her mother said something else that Aika couldn't make out. "I'm not saying Aika can't take care of herself either!" Her dad sighed again. "This would be so much simpler if Chisato were there…" His voice was heavy with grief, and Aika winced sympathetically.

Her late aunt Chisato was her father's sister, just as Uncle was her mother's brother. Chisato had died in a car accident only a few years ago, so Aika's memories of her were still pretty vivid. Mostly, Aika remembered Chisato as a beautiful, kind woman who always remembered to call on Aika's birthday and send a gift; there was a sweater she'd knitted for Aika the year before she died stuffed somewhere in the cardboard boxes still propped up against the wall.

"Dad, I'll be okay," Aika said finally, leaning backward to put her feet up on the couch.

"Be careful," he told her. "Look both ways before crossing the street. Don't isolate yourself. If an axe murderer with a grudge against your uncle really wanted to press his buttons, you'd be his second target."

"Only second?" Aika asked teasingly.

"Because Nanako-chan would be the first," her father said solemnly. "Hang on. Your mother wants to talk to you."

"So besides the whole dead body thing, how was your first day?" her mother asked automatically.

"Pretty much the same as all the other first days," Aika replied. "Besides the whole dead body thing."

"You know, you really should try making some friends," her mom suggested.

"I don't see the need," Aika replied stubbornly. "I'm only going to be here for a year anyway."

"Aika, you're sixteen years old. You are in desperate need of a life. And for that, you need friends."

"You and Dad are my friends."

"We don't count on principle."

"No need to sell yourself short, Mom."

"Go be a social butterfly."

"Would it make you feel any better if I said I walked home with two girls in my class today?"

"Which two girls? I probably know their parents."

"Chie Satonaka and Yukiko Amagi."

"Amagi, huh? Not bad, not bad. And did you say Satonaka? Is she Kentaro Satonaka's daughter?"

"I guess?"

"Ugh, he was the _worst_! You know, this one time in middle school, he asked me out on a date, and then his little friends tagged along and started talking shit about me. And Satonaka doesn't do or say anything to stick up for me, right? Ryo-chan was _pissed_ when he found out about that." She sighed contentedly. "You should've seen the way he beat the shit out of them."

There was a faint rubbery smell coming from downstairs. "As enticing as that sounds, I should get going. I think Nanako's trying to cook something."

"Okay, okay." Her mother sighed. "In all seriousness, though, _do_ be careful. Your dad's already freaking out as it is. You know how he gets. And, a little incentive for you to actually make an effort to settle down there: if you _really_ like it there, you can finish high school there."

Aika almost fell off the couch in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Settling down involves coming out of your cocoon, little caterpillar."

Aika sighed. "I… I'll try…"

"Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Mom."

She hung up the phone and dropped it on the couch, sighing and wrapping her arms around herself. _Do I… really want to stay here?_

* * *

_Potential side effects of completing this chapter include the irresistible urge to smash Aika's face in with a hammer while screaming at her to grow a freaking spine. DON'T WORRY, THIS IS COMPLETELY NORMAL._

_I would love you all forever if you review, so please do._


	2. Chapter 2

_If you can spot the Naruto reference in this chapter, you win a virtual cookie. (Hint: it's during the Shadow Yosuke scene)_

* * *

The next day, after school, Yosuke Hanamura walked up to Aika's desk. "Hey, Miss Nakamura," he greeted her with a crooked smile. "You getting used to this place?"

"Yeah," Aika answered with a nod. Of all the people who had talked to her during her first two days, she had to admit she liked Yosuke the best. He seemed the most honest, after all.

"Wow, that was fast," he said, and his smile widened into something more natural. "There isn't much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain… something you can't get anywhere else."

"I like it here," Aika said simply, vaguely wondering what it was about Yosuke that made her feel so… _calm_.

"That's good!" he enthused. "So listen, are you busy right now?"

"Um…" Aika mentally face-palmed; and he had _such_ a good run… "Not… really?"

"I know this great place where you can get grilled steak," Yosuke continued, completely oblivious to Aika's unease. "It's on me."

"Um…" Aika mumbled, clenching her hands into fists. "I…"

"Sheesh…" Chie grumbled from next to Aika. "Is he bothering you, Aika?"

"N-Not really…" Aika replied.

"Take a hint, Hanamura," Chie said coldly. "She's not interested."

"Um…" Aika piped up. "Actually… maybe we could all… go?"

"That's a great idea!" Chie said automatically. "How about it, Yukiko? Free steak?"

"I'll pass," Yukiko replied. "I don't want to gain anymore weight. I have to help out at the inn today, anyway. Maybe some other time?"

"Aw…" Chie grumbled. "Okay. We should get going, huh?"

"What?" Yosuke said in disbelief. "Do I seriously have to treat _two_ people?"

* * *

The amazing grilled steak place was apparently the famous Junes that Nanako was so fond of. "_This_ is the cheap place you were talking about?" Chie fumed as Yosuke brought over three drinks. "You know, when you're trying to impress a girl, you're supposed to _not_ bring her over to your family business and actually _make good_ on what you promised her."

Yosuke sat down with a huff and crossed his arms. "Well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans." He smirked in Aika's direction. "Sorry about that, Nakamura." He glared at Chie. "And it's not my _family business_!"

"Huh?" Aika asked, tilting her head to the side and frowning quizzically.

"Oh, I haven't told you about this yet, have I?" Yosuke said. "I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it, so our entire family came out here." He gestured towards one of the soda cans he'd brought over. "Here. This is to welcome you to town."

"Or to welcome you _back_, even though you probably don't remember it that well," Chie corrected.

Aika took a can and opened it. "Th-Thank you," she said, her cheeks warming up as she smiled.

"Satonaka, yours is on me too, in case there was any doubt that this _isn't_ a date," Yosuke said.

"I already knew that!" Chie snapped, taking the can closest to her.

"So what did you mean by welcoming her _back_ to Inaba?" Yosuke asked.

Aika was sure her face was a furious shade of red right now. Chie actually _remembered_ what she said… "I-I was sort of born here," Aika explained. "B-But I only lived here for a couple years, s-so I don't really remember it."

"So what made you decide to move back?" Yosuke asked.

"My parents are working overseas," Aika explained, surprised that she didn't stutter once. "I'm staying with my uncle for the year."

"Really?" Yosuke asked, smirking. "What do they do?"

"Um…" Aika mumbled, clapping her feet together. "They're financial analysts f-for this pharmaceutical company called Satomi Tadashi. They're going to help open up a new branch in France."

"Satomi Tadashi?" Yosuke repeated. "Hey, I think we carry some of their stuff!" Aika smiled weakly at him in response. Suddenly, he turned his head to the side. "Hey… it's Saki-senpai!" He stood up quickly, almost banging his leg against the table in his haste. "Sorry, be right back."

Sure enough, Aika could see a girl sitting a few tables away. She was pretty, she supposed – tall, with long, wavy hair and a thin, angular face. "Is she his girlfriend?"

Chie outright laughed at that. "He wishes. That's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district. I think she's working here part-time though…" Aika tilted her head to the side as she watched Yosuke, who appeared as relaxed with Saki as Aika felt with him.

"Hey, is she the new transfer student?" Saki suddenly asked loudly, standing up and walking over to Aika's table. "Hey, I'm Saki," she introduced herself.

"I'm Aika. Um… I-It's nice to meet you."

Saki chuckled. "No need to be so shy. I promise I won't bite." Aika gave the older girl a small smile. "I really do hope you'll get along with Hana-chan. He doesn't have too many friends, you see."

"Uh, that's not really—" Yosuke interjected.

"But you've got to let him know right to his face when he starts to annoy you," Saki continued, as if Yosuke hadn't said a word. "You're pretty cute, so he probably tried bringing you here on a date, huh?"

"To be fair, he was going to take her out for steak someplace else," Chie pointed out. "But then I – how did he put it? – _jumped on the freeloader train_."

Saki sighed. "Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go… Laters!"

"Oh, uh, Senpai!" Yosuke called after her, but Saki was already out of earshot. Yosuke sat down, laughing. "Saki-senpai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me." A dreamy sort of smile spread across his face – much more natural than any of the crooked smiles he gave Aika when he was obviously trying to look attractive. "She has a younger brother, and she pretty much treats me the same way…"

"Oh, you don't want her treating you like a brother, huh?" Chie said teasingly. "I get it. So that's how it is…" Chie snickered. "_The daughter of a local family-owned liquor store and the scion of the invading chain…_ Hoho, the flame of forbidden love!" Aika couldn't help herself – she let out a giggle, prompting both Yosuke and Chie to look to her in surprise. "Well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. You ever hear of the Midnight Channel? You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen, and they say that person's your soulmate."

"What?" Yosuke said. "For a second, I thought you were actually going to say something useful. How could you get so excited over a childish urban legend like that?"

"Childish, huh?" Chie snapped back. "You don't believe it, do you?"

"Of course I don't!" Yosuke answered sharply.

"Well it's supposed to rain tonight," Chie said. "Let's all try it out – then you'll see!"

"Wait, so you haven't even tried it out yourself?" Yosuke asked incredulously. "Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid…" Yosuke shook his head. "Never mind. All that aside… you know that 'incident' yesterday? Do you guys think it was a murder? Ooh, what if the culprit was still lurking around?"

"U-Um…" Aika piped up. "M-Maybe you shouldn't…"

"Now who's the childish one?" Chie asked. "Anyway, I should get going. You guys better try it out tonight!"

Aika stood up shortly after Chie left. "U-Um, I should get going too… Th-Thank you for the drink, Hanamura-san." She shuffled away quickly, but she couldn't deny that having friends – or at least acquaintances – felt pretty nice.

* * *

Dinner consisted of leftovers from the night Aika arrived in Inaba, which took all of twenty minutes to heat up. Dinner with Nanako almost always proved to be an awkward affair – neither girl was very talkative, so the two usually sat in awkward, heavy silence while the TV blared in the background. It was almost nine, and Uncle still hadn't showed up. "Um…" Aika mumbled. "Did Uncle call?"

Nanako sighed irritably. "No…" she grumbled. "He always says he will." As if on cue, the front door slid open. "Oh, he's home!"

Uncle plopped down on the couch, sighing heavily. "What a day…" he muttered to himself. "Did anything happen while I was gone?"

"No," Nanako replied. "You're late again!"

"I'm sorry," Uncle said, sounding flustered. "Been busy at work. Can you put the news on for me?" Nanako pouted as used the remote the change the channel.

Aika made her way to the kitchen. "U-Um… I'll heat up some food for you, Uncle."

"Thanks," he replied tiredly.

"Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba," Aika heard the announcer on TV say as she put some food into the microwave. "Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of the enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi. The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body."

"An interview with the kid?" Uncle said. "Where the hell did they find her?"

"What went through your mind when you saw it?" the reporter asked. "Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?"

"U-Um…" an indistinct voice said.

"Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?" the reporter continued.

"Huh?" the student asked. "She was killed…?"

"So… did you see anyone suspicious around here?"

"No, not really…"

"We heard that you found it when you left school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?"

"Huh? That's…"

Aika turned to look at the TV. The girl being interviewed looked somewhat like that girl Saki Konishi, though it was hard to make out her features. The microwave beeped, snapping Aika's attention back to the task at hand. She piled some food onto a plate and walked over to the couch. "Uncle? Food's ready." But he was snoring lightly, fast asleep. Aika sighed. "Guess you're not hungry, huh?" She put the plate down on the table and made her way upstairs, to her uncle's room. As she unrolled his futon, she couldn't help but notice just how similar he was to her own mother.

Back downstairs, she nudged Uncle as gently as she could. "Uncle? Um… why don't you come upstairs? You'll catch a cold if you sleep down here."

He stirred slightly and opened his eyes blearily. "What?" he mumbled.

Aika tugged on his arm – she could still remember tugging his arm like this when she was younger, before Nanako was born; he'd always lift her up onto his shoulders when she did, making her father scream in terror while her mother and aunt Chisato just laughed at them both – and schooled her expression into something stern. "Come on, Uncle," she said. "Sleep on your futon." He mumbled something incomprehensible and shifted into a more comfortable position. "No!" Aika almost yelled. "Uncle…"

"It's okay," Nanako said. "I'll wake him up and make him go to his room when I go to bed."

"Are you sure?" Aika asked.

Nanako nodded. "Yeah. If you're tired, then you can go to bed. I'm going to stay up for a little longer."

Aika exhaled slowly. "All right. Good night." When she went upstairs, she called her parents and didn't hang up the phone until almost two and a half hours later.

* * *

It wasn't until two minutes before midnight that Aika remembered her promise to check out the Midnight Channel. She already had her futon unrolled, and she yawned every ten seconds or so, but she forced herself to stay awake for just a few more minutes. Standing up to reduce her chances of falling asleep before midnight struck, she crossed her arms and stared into the blank TV screen, and the sound of rain falling outside was oddly soothing and comforting. The TV was smaller than she was and rather outdated – not that Aika cared, since she didn't watch that much TV to begin with.

Then, suddenly, there was a strange sound not unlike static. The screen whirred to life, though Aika could swear that she didn't switch it on at all. The faint, barely recognizable outline of a girl with long hair flashed briefly across the screen. There was a strange, high-pitched ringing in her ears that she could swear didn't come from the TV. And then, there was a voice in her mind.

_Thou art I…_

It was a woman's voice – thin, breathy, and ethereal. Aika's head suddenly seared with pain, and she squeezed her eyes shut and pressed one hand to her forehead, her face contorting into a grimace.

_… and I am thou…_

There was another, more intense wave of pain, and it suddenly became difficult to stand. She stumbled forward, reaching out to put her hand on the TV for support. But instead of meeting solid glass, all she could feel was emptiness, and she fell forward. Her knees banged against the stand, and, when she opened her eyes, all she could see was a black void. She pulled back, falling to the floor with a loud crash.

Her headache receded almost as quickly as it came, leaving her feeling a bit lightheaded. She put one hand to her head and stared at the TV screen, which was now deceptively blank.

_What… What just happened?_

* * *

The day passed by in a blur, and Aika found herself dozing off between classes. Her head throbbed dully, more from worrying about that strange voice in her head from the previous night than the voice itself. She rested her head in her arms on top of her desk, sighing heavily.

"Y-Yo…" said a voice close to her desk. Aika looked up to see an uncertain-looking Yosuke.

"Hi," Aika greeted tiredly with a smile.

"Um…" Yosuke mumbled, and, were she anyone else, she would have laughed at the irony of the situation. "It's not really that important, but… Well, yesterday on TV, I… You know what? Never mind. I'll tell you later." He laughed nervously.

Chie walked up to them from Yukiko's desk, looking rather concerned. "Yosuke, did you hear the rumor?" she asked. "Saki-senpai's supposedly the one who discovered that body."

"I wonder if that's why she looked so down," Yosuke said. "She doesn't seem to be at school today either."

"By the way, did you see… it… last night?" Chie asked hesitantly.

"I…" Aika mumbled. What happened the previous night made no sense whatsoever. First the random girl appearing on the TV screen, then the voice in her head and near crippling headache, and…

"I saw a girl!" Chie yelled. "But… my soulmate's a girl? What's that supposed to mean? I couldn't quite tell who it was, but it was a girl for sure. She had brown hair, and she was wearing our school uniform, and…

Aika's head snapped up at that. "Wait a minute!" Yosuke cut her off. "I think that's the same person I saw!"

"M-Me too," Aika added quietly.

"I couldn't make out that much detail, though," Yosuke continued. "The image I saw was much blurrier."

"Wait, so does this mean we all have the same soulmate?" Chie asked.

"Hang on a sec," Yosuke said. "What happened to you, Aika? You've been pretty quiet today… I mean, more than usual."

Aika wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "I… um…"

"It's okay," Chie assured her, smiling. "You can tell us."

"I sort of…" Aika began hesitantly. She exhaled slowly to calm herself, though her hands wouldn't stop shaking. "I-I might have just been imagining it, b-but… Th-There was this weird voice in my head, a-and I think… I-I think I might have gone… inside… the TV… b-but it was really late, a-and I probably was just imagining it, s-so… never mind…"

Yosuke chuckled, and Aika wanted to sink into the floor. "Were you that tired last night?" he teased. "You must've just fallen asleep in front of your TV."

"That'd be one interesting dream, though," Chie added, before gasping suddenly. "Oh, that reminds me! Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV."

"Oh yeah?" Yosuke asked. "Well, flatscreen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing up our electronics department this month."

"Oh, definitely!" Chie agreed. "My parents don't know anything about electronics, and I've just gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen! You should come too, Aika!"

"You're not too busy, are you?" Yosuke asked.

"N-No…" Aika replied, her voice a barely audible whisper. "I-I'll come…" _Maybe it really was just a dream…_

* * *

"Wow!" Chie exclaimed at the TV Yosuke led them to. "This is huge! And… holy crap, it's expensive! Who buys something like this?"

"I dunno…" Yosuke replied. "Rich folks? Honestly, not that many people shop for TVs there. That's why we don't have clerks around. So Chie, what kind of TV are you guys in the market for?"

"They said they wanted one that's cheap," Chie answered. "You got any suggestions?"

Yosuke took her arm and pulled her over to another TV nearby, a goofy smile on his face. "Well miss, might I suggest this one right here? It's the newest model, just released this spring."

"That's not cheap at all!" Chie screeched. "There's way too many zeroes!"

Yosuke appeared to wilt. "I should've asked what you meant by cheap right off the bat."

Aika sighed and stared at the TV in front of her. _I wonder…_ She stepped forward and reached for the screen experimentally. Sure enough, instead of cool glass, all she could feel was air, and the black screen seemed to shimmer beneath her touch. She shrieked in surprise, jumping back and clasping one hand over her mouth.

"You okay over there?" Yosuke asked her, peering at her over Chie's head.

"I…" Aika tried to reply, but the words died in her throat. Explaining this strange phenomenon was bad enough the first time. Frowning determinedly, she took a deep breath to strengthen her resolve and reached into the TV without hesitation. Sure enough, her hand went past the screen, a strange white spiral surrounding it.

"Wh-What the…?" Yosuke gasped.

"Whoa…" Chie whispered. "Is that some kinda… new model? L-Like with a new function?"

"Hell no!" Yosuke yelled. "Oh man… This is for real…"

"Hmm…" Aika mused, climbing onto the table and sticking her head inside, only to see the same black void she saw the previous night. "It's empty inside."

"H-Hey!" Yosuke yelped. "Don't do that! What're you doing?"

"Wh-What do you mean empty?" Chie squeaked

"Holy crap…" Yosuke whimpered. "I-I think this is all too much for my bladder…"

"What the—" Chie started. "Are you gonna pee your pants?"

"I've been holding it in all day!" Yosuke yelled. "I-I haven't had a chance to go…"

"I wonder how far this goes…" Aika said to herself.

"H-Hey, be careful!" Yosuke yelled. "You're gonna fall in!" He grabbed onto one of her arms, making her lose her balance. She wrapped her fingers tightly around Yosuke's arm as she fell forward.

"Hey!" Chie yelled, grabbing Yosuke's arm and attempting to pull him back. But it was as if something from down below was sucking her into it, and Aika fell, pulling Yosuke and Chie behind her.

There was a white and black vortex that only seemed to shrink the farther they fell. Aika landed first, and the impact was every bit as painful as she imagined. She seemed to be in a strange yellow room, practically suffocated by a thick fog. "Ow…" Yosuke groaned. "I landed right on my wallet…"

"Man, where the heck are we?" Chie asked. "What is this place? Someplace inside Junes?"

"Hell no it isn't!" Yosuke answered. "We fell through a TV!"

"So… uh…" Chie mumbled. "We're still alive… right?"

"Are you guys okay?" Aika asked worriedly.

"I think my butt's cracked now…" Yosuke groaned.

"Of course it is!" Chie snapped back.

Yosuke looked up and jumped. "Whoa!"

"Wh-What now?" Chie whimpered. "Did you wet your pants?"

"No, stupid!" Yosuke retorted. "Look around!"

The fog was so thick and so heavy that it was almost difficult to breathe, but Aika could see the faint outline of what appeared to be a studio. "What is this place?" she whispered. Suddenly, there was a shrill ringing noise in her ears, and her head burst with pain – just like the previous night.

_Thou art I… I am thou… Thou art the one who opens the door…_

"Aika," she could hear someone calling her name, but it was impossible to tell who it was through the haze of pain. "Aika!" All of a sudden, the pain subsided, and the ringing noise stopped. She was on the floor, and her hand was pressed against her forehead. Yosuke and Chie were staring down at her worriedly. "Are you okay?" Yosuke asked.

"I-I'm okay," she said shakily. She stood up, but her knees shook, and her head felt heavy.

"Let's go home," Chie suggested. "We should probably… wait a minute. Which way did we come in from?"

Aika's stomach twisted into knots, and she suddenly felt sick. "I-I don't know… I'm sorry…"

Yosuke sighed. "Look," he said. "We got in somehow, right? So there's gotta be a way out. If there's no exit, we're trapped, so… let's just cross our fingers and look around."

"I-It looks like there's a path over there," Aika said, pointing to something that looked like a bridge. "Why don't we start there?" And, for what felt like eternity, they walked. No one could say a word, with the very real possibility of never making it back home. To make matters worse, each step Aika took seemed to sap her energy, and her head felt like it was going to split open.

Chie groaned loudly. "I can't see a thing through all this fog!" she ranted.

"It looks like we're in some kind of building," Yosuke said. "Damn, the fog's so thick, I can hardly see."

"Are you sure we're not wandering farther away?" Chie asked.

"I'm sorry…" Aika whispered. "I… Th-This is all my fault… I'm the one that brought you guys here…"

"That doesn't matter right now," Yosuke pointed out. "It doesn't change the fact that we're stuck here."

"I'm sorry…" Aika said again.

"You don't have to apologize so much," Yosuke told her, giving a small smile. "Let's just keep looking, okay?" They meandered farther down the path until they reached what appeared to be a sort of hotel room. The air felt lighter, though Aika still felt sick to her stomach. "Is it me, or is the fog lighter here?" Yosuke pulled out his cellphone and groaned. "No service. What a surprise."

"Huh?" Chie gasped. "What the…" Aika turned around and almost fell over in surprise. Splashes of red and yellow covered the walls, and there were numerous posters depicting a woman in a red kimono, though the head was cut out. "It's a dead end! There's no exit!"

Yosuke let out something halfway between a whine and a scream. "I can't hold it any longer! My bladder's gonna explode!" Without warning, he ran over to the farthest wall.

"Yosuke!" Chie yelled. "What are you doing?"

"I've gotta let it out before I piss my pants!" Yosuke yelled back.

"You're going here?" Chie asked incredulously. "Oh, you have got to be kidding…"

Aika let out a squeak of embarrassment and turned around, her face heating up.

"I can't do it!" Yosuke moaned. "It's all your fault if my bladder bursts!"

"Like I care," Chie deadpanned as Yosuke turned around. "Anyway, what's with this room?" She walked over to one of the posters, running her hand over where the head should have been. "Someone must really hate this person."

Aika's eyes fell on a red scarf hanging from the ceiling. "Wh-Why…"

"Come on!" Chie whined. "Let's go back to where we came from and look somewhere else for an exit!" It was at that moment that the voice in Aika's mind struck again.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…_

She must have said or done something, because Yosuke and Chie were now staring at her. "Are you sure you're okay?" Yosuke asked her. "You don't look so good."

"Come to think of it, I'm not feeling so great either…" Chie mumbled.

"Now that you mention it, me too…" Yosuke whispered.

Now that she was consciously thinking of her own physical condition, Aika noticed how cold she felt – not to mention, her headache had worsened considerably. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "L-Let's just go back…" she said quietly. "Please?"

When they finally managed to drag their feet back to the studio-like place, a strange figure approached them. It was too foggy to see what it was clearly, but Aika stepped behind Yosuke and Chie anyway. The strange creature finally came into view, and though it obviously wasn't human, Aika couldn't tell what exactly it was. It had two small, round ears on its head, so it looked like… "… a bear?" Aika whispered.

"What in the world?" Yosuke muttered.

"Th-That's what I wanna know!" the bear retorted, but Aika couldn't see its mouth move. "Who are you guys?"

Chie yelped in surprise. "It talked!" She assumed a fighting stance. "Who are you? Y-You wanna fight?"

The bear cowered. "D-Don't yell at me like that…"

But the bear certainly didn't _look_ dangerous. Aika approached it cautiously, ready to jump back at the slightest provocation. "Um… D-Do you know what this place is?"

"This place is what it is," the bear replied, smiling. "It doesn't have a name. It's where I live."

"You… live here?" Yosuke repeated.

"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side," the bear suggested. "Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache."

"Throwing… people in?" Aika echoed faintly. She was beginning to feel rather lightheaded, and all she wanted was to go back home and sleep.

The bear frowned and stomped its foot in frustration. "I dunno who's doing it!" he ranted. "I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!"

"Hey, what's your problem?" Chie demanded. "What gives you the right to yell at us like that!"

"Chie-san!" Aika squeaked.

"What?" Chie snapped at her. "Don't tell me you're taking _his_ side!"

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled, staring downward. "Th-This is… sort of… his home… a-and we're not really supposed to be here."

The bear ran to hide behind Aika. It was slightly taller than her and much wider, so she couldn't offer it much protection. "I-I already told you!" the bear said nervously. "Anyway, you should hurry back."

"What it comes down to is, you want us to get out of here, right?" Yosuke asked. "Well so do we! We just don't know how, dammit!"

The bear groaned exasperatedly. "That's why I'm saying I'll let you out!"

"Like I keep saying!" Yosuke continued. "We don't know where the frickin' exit—Wait… What?"

The bear waved its arms, and in a puff of smoke, three old-fashioned TVs appeared. "How did you do that?" Aika asked.

But the bear was already ushering her to the TV screens. "Okay, now go, go, get outta here! I'm a busy bear!" Before Aika could process what was happening, she was being shoved into the TV screens, and she saw the same white and black vortex as before.

She could hear the Junes theme song as she, Yosuke, and Chie tumbled to the floor, the large TV screen in front of them deceptively blank. The sudden rush left her feeling dizzy and out of breath, and her head still threatened to split open. "Attention shoppers!" a female's voice echoed. "Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side dish area on the first floor. Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight? All ages are invited to take advantage of this incredible bargain!"

"Crap, it's already that late?" Yosuke whispered. "I guess this means we're back though." Aika groaned as she struggled to stand up. The world spun beneath her feet, and she had to grab onto the nearest thing – which happened to be Chie's arm – so that she wouldn't fall back down.

"Looks like we were in there for quite a while…" Chie mused.

Yosuke looked to the side, his eyes widening in shock. "That's right! Now I remember where I saw that poster before!" He pointed to a poster depicting the same woman in the red kimono, but her head was clearly visible.

Aika shuffled over, trying to ignore just how dizzy and tired she felt. "Misuzu… Hiiragi?"

"She's been all over the news lately," Chie pointed out. "Something about… her husband having an affair with that announcer lady…" Her eyes widened in recognition. "… who _died_ the other day!"

"So that room…" Aika mumbled. "Could it be related to Yamano-san's death?"

"Now that I think about it, there _was_ that creepy noose hanging from the ceiling…" Yosuke added, before making a noise halfway between a whine and a shriek. "Stop! No more! We gotta stop talking about this! I'm gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don't think my poor heart can take any more."

"I-I'm sorry…" Aika whispered.

"Let's go home…" Chie suggested. "I wanna lie down and rest."

Aika finally saw the time as they parted ways – nearly seven o'clock.

* * *

Somehow, miraculously, Aika made it back home within the next half hour. She felt even worse than she did inside the TV or at Junes, and though her headache had faded into a dull throb, she still felt utterly exhausted and ill. Uncle and Nanako were sitting at the table with bowls of ramen in front of them, and Aika all but collapsed at the seat next to Uncle. "Welcome home," Uncle said. He looked just as tired as she felt – there were dark circles under his eyes, and his face was stubbly from days of not shaving.

"Sorry I'm late," Aika apologized weakly.

"That's okay," he replied. "Just don't try to stay out _too_ late, okay? We might have a killer on the loose."

Aika nodded, immediately regretting the action when she was rewarded with a rush of vertigo. "Okay."

"Hmm…" Uncle mused. "Well, I doubt you'd know… but have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?"

"She found the body…" Aika replied. "… right?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's true…" He sighed heavily. "To be honest… we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet…" He sighed again, and Aika winced in sympathy. "Work just keeps piling up…" He looked to her again, this time frowning slightly. "You okay?"

"Huh?" Aika mumbled, looking up at him. A shiver ran down her spine. "Oh… I think I might be coming down with a cold…"

"Damn, we're out of cold medicine…" he grumbled.

"I-I think I'll just go to bed now," Aika said, standing up. Her legs felt wobbly, and her eyelids were starting to droop shut. "I'll probably be fine in the morning."

"All right," he replied. "Let me know if you need anything.

She smiled faintly at him before going upstairs to unroll her futon. She fell asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

Contrary to what she told Uncle the previous night, Aika was _not_ fine in the morning. Her head felt heavy, it was difficult to keep her eyes open, and she was positive that she had a fever. When she made her way downstairs, her body seemed to whine and groan in protest. Uncle was there, straightening his tie, and Nanako had yet to come down. "Ah, you're up," he said without even looking up. When he finally saw Aika, he seemed to deflate a little. "Stay home from school today. You look like shit."

"I-I'll be fine," Aika protested weakly. "I'm just a little tired."

He sighed irritably. "You're just like Fuuji, you know that?" Aika felt her face heat up, and she couldn't blame it on the fever.

Nanako finally came down, and she frowned at Aika quizzically. "Why aren't you dressed yet?" she asked simply.

"She's not going to school today," Uncle said flatly before Aika could get a word in. "She isn't feeling well." Aika frowned at him, and he simply shrugged at her. "It's best to treat these things early on. Besides, it's still early in the school term, so you'll be able to catch up without a problem."

Aika sighed heavily. "All right," she conceded. "I'm really sorry about this." When she left for her room, she tried and failed to ignore Uncle's amused expression.

When Aika woke up again, she felt much better. Her legs were still a little shaky, though that could be attributed to spending the day in bed, and she still felt kind of feverish, but it was nothing that wouldn't go away soon enough. Nanako was sitting at the table, watching TV, when Aika finally made her way downstairs. "Morning," she greeted.

"It's the afternoon," Nanako pointed out. "Are you feeling any better?"

Aika smiled and nodded. "Yeah, much better. School's over already?"

"Yeah," Nanako replied. "Dad called your school this morning and told them you were sick, so you won't get in trouble." Aika exhaled slowly as she opened the refrigerator. Now that she didn't feel so sick anymore, she finally noticed how hungry she was, especially since she hadn't eaten anything since lunch the previous day. The refrigerator was stocked with some vegetables and some fish, so she pulled those out, rummaging through the kitchen for knives and utensils. It was past five o'clock, so there was no reason she couldn't start on dinner early.

About an hour later, Nanako meandered to the kitchen with a confused frown on her face, once the smell of cooking vegetables and fish nearly flooded the house. "Are you making dinner?" she asked.

"Yeah," Aika replied distractedly as she turned over a piece of fish. "Do you think Uncle will be coming home today?"

"I don't know…" Nanako replied shakily. "He got a call this morning. I think there was an _incident_."

"Really?"

"Yeah, there were all these sirens and everything," Nanako answered.

Another half hour later, dinner was finally ready, and Aika laid plates of food on the table. Nanako ate a carrot experimentally, and her eyes widened. "This is really good!" she gasped.

Aika smiled at her. "I'm glad you like it," she said. "Hey, why don't you tell me what you want to eat? I'll pick up groceries tomorrow."

Nanako actually smiled at that. "Okay!"

There was a jingle on TV indicating that the news was about to start, and Aika fell silent, staring at the news anchors. "Our next story is an update in our ongoing report on the bizarre murders occurring in Inaba. Around 7:00 A.M., local high school student Saki Konishi was found dead in Inaba's residential area."

If Aika hadn't swallowed just then, she surely would have spit out whatever was in her mouth. "What?" she gasped.

"Since the body was positioned similarly to the last victim, and since Ms. Konoshi was the one who discovered that body…" the news anchor continued, "… Police are proceeding under the assumption that this may be a serial murder case related to the death of Mayumi Yamano. The coroner's report has established Ms. Konishi's time of death at around 1:00 A.M. last night. The body went unnoticed until this morning as a result of the heavy fog blanketing the area."

Aika covered her mouth with one hand, and she couldn't seem to stop shaking. "Oh… my god…"

"Another incident…" Nanako said quietly. "Did you know her?"

"I…" Aika started, but the words died in her throat, and she couldn't bring herself to respond.

"Was she your friend?" Nanako asked.

"I…" Aika said again. "I met her once, but…" There was a cold pit in her stomach that had nothing to do with her fever. Saki Konishi, someone she knew personally, for however brief a time, was _gone_…

"Amagi Inn, located upstream of Samegawa River, is the town's oldest historical landmark," the news report continued. "Vacationers are known to travel surprising distances in order to visit its open-air, radium-rich hot springs. After the incident with Ms. Yamano, the manager has stepped aside, leaving her daughter Yukiko to fill her shoes."

"Yukiko-san?" Aika whispered, frowning at the girl in her class appearing on the TV screen, wearing a pink kimono.

"In other words," the reporter said, "she's a manager who's still in high school. Now that has a nice ring to it… Let me see if we can interview her. Excuse me!"

"Hm?" Yukiko responded quietly. "Um… are you speaking to me?"

"We've heard that you're the new manager," the reporter said. "Is it true you're still in high school?"

"Oh, well, I'm only filling in temporarily…" Yukiko replied hesitantly.

"Someday, though…" the reporter continued. "That aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono! You must have had a lot of male visitors."

"Huh?" Yukiko mumbled, looking uncertain. "No, um…"

Aika bristled as the reporter's incessant line of questioning went more and more off-topic. "This is boring," Nanako whined. "I need to do the dishes."

"It's okay," Aika said. "I'll do them."

Nanako frowned sternly at her, and it was like Aika was with her aunt Chisato all over again. "But you just got better! You need to rest, or you'll get sick again!"

If Nanako was anything like Auntie, then Aika knew for a fact that the little girl would never relent. "All right," Aika conceded with a sigh as she sat back down.

Though Nanako didn't say much after that, Aika couldn't help but notice that she felt just a little more comfortable with her little cousin.

* * *

When she arrived at school the next day, she saw a detective speaking with Mr. Morooka. Chie was staring at her with a concerned expression, and Yosuke refused to look in her direction at all. She exhaled slowly and started making her way over to her desk. "Her!" Mr. Morooka barked suddenly. He pointed a finger at Aika, looking absolutely livid. "That transfer student wasn't here yesterday!"

The detective turned to regard her, and there was something vaguely familiar about him. He glared at her before snapping manacles onto her wrists. "You're under arrest," he spat at her.

Something jolted in her chest. "W-Wait!" she squeaked. "I… I… I…" But she couldn't keep up with her racing thoughts.

"You can give me your excuses down at the precinct," the detective said coldly as he led her out of the classroom. Aika cast one last look at Chie, who sighed, and Yosuke who still refused to look at her. Outside, she was shoved almost violently into the back seat of a car, and it was all she could do to not throw up out of carsickness and anxiety.

* * *

Class still had yet to start, so Chie made her way over to Yosuke's desk and poked his arm. "Come on, Yosuke," she said hesitantly. "I don't think she did it."

"You don't know that for sure," he replied listlessly without even looking at her. "Besides, she was absent yesterday. She still could've done it."

"You saw her after… after what happened at Junes," Chie pointed out. "She could barely stand. Besides – she's tiny! There's no way she could've killed someone Saki-senpai's size _and_ put her body on a telephone pole." Yosuke still refused to meet her gaze, and Chie groaned in frustration. "Snap out of it, Yosuke! I know you're still upset about what happened, but just _think_ about it! It doesn't even make any sense!"

"She was absent… because she was sick yesterday, right?" Yosuke asked, finally looking at Chie. Chie could practically see the gears working in his brain.

"That's what King Moron said," Chie answered. "Apparently her uncle called and everything."

"So why did that guy arrest her?" Yosuke asked slowly. "She has an alibi, right?"

Chie could practically see the determination in his eyes as he stood up, leaving his school bag there, and ran to the door; she almost felt proud of him. "Wait, you're not seriously going to…"

"Cover for me!" Yosuke yelled back before sprinting away.

* * *

"I-I didn't do anything…" Aika said quietly.

"Bullshit," the detective retorted. He was tall – then again, everyone was, compared to Aika – though there was something about his dark eyes that seemed… _incompetent_, somehow. "I'm not letting you out of here until you tell me the truth."

"B-But I…" Aika mumbled. She could feel tears stinging her eyes, but she desperately willed herself not to cry.

"Why did you kill Saki Konishi?" the detective asked.

"I-I didn't…"

He slammed his hands down on the table. "Answer me, dammit!"

"B-But I was home all—all night and, and a-all of y-yesterday…" Her voice broke, and tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. Aika wiped them away in embarrassment, sniffling.

"Crying isn't gonna get you a free pass," the detective said coldly.

"I… I…" But once the dam broke, it was impossible to control her emotions. Aika broke down crying and hyperventilating.

* * *

Yosuke didn't know where he was going. The police station was huge, and Aika could have been anywhere. He was sure he'd lost his mind when he decided to go back into the TV to see if it had anything to do with Saki-senpai's death, if he hadn't lost it already when he decided to attempt this rescue mission, or whatever it was. Not to mention, he had no idea who the detective who took her away was, and, even worse, he didn't know a single police officer or detective himself. "Hey!" a man's voice yelled, and had Yosuke not gone to the bathroom just before coming to school, he would have surely wet his pants.

"Oh shit…" he whimpered. "Not one of my better ideas…"

A middle-aged detective strode over to him. His dark hair was greying at multiple places, there were dark circles under his eyes, and the frown lines on his forehead were prominent. "You're a high school student, aren't you?" he demanded. "You've got a lot of nerve, playing hooky and coming down here."

"I'm sorry, sir!" Yosuke yelped. "One of my classmates just sort of got arrested, s-so I'm here to…"

As he trailed off, the man's expression softened. "Who was it?" he asked with a sigh.

"Uh…" Yosuke replied hesitantly. "I-It was this new transfer student. King Moron—sorry, Mr. Morooka told the detective that she was absent yesterday – she was probably sick or something – and he just… _arrested_ her."

The man appeared absolutely livid, and Yosuke mentally bashed his head against a wall; pissing off a detective was _not_ his intention. "Was that transfer student's name Aika Nakamura?" the man demanded through gritted teeth. "Blue hair, really short, looks like she's ten years old?"

"Y-Yeah, that's her!" Yosuke replied. "Wait, how did you know that?"

The man clenched his fists, and for a second, Yosuke was sure he was going to receive another critical hit to the nads. "I'm going to _kill_ him," the man practically snarled before storming past Yosuke.

"H-Hey!" Yosuke yelped. "Wait for me!"

* * *

"I'll ask you again," the detective said in an even voice. "Where were you when—"

The sound of someone banging loudly against the door cut him off, and Aika jumped in surprise. "Adachi!" she heard her uncle yell, and she shivered; he sounded absolutely _furious_. "Open the goddamn door!" He banged against the door three more times.

"D-Dojima-san!" the detective – Adachi, presumably – gasped. Aika couldn't help but feel a little satisfied when she saw the color positively drain from his face. "R-Right away, sir!" He was trembling visibly as he slowly unlocked the door and pulled it open.

He yelped when someone – _Uncle_ – gave the door a violent shove. "Aika, get over here," he ordered.

Aika dried her eyes and sniffled. "Y-Yes, Uncle…" She shuffled behind her, only slightly worried about the detective that was no doubt about to be on the receiving end of Uncle's rage.

"Wait a minute…" the detective murmured. "'Uncle'?" He stared incredulously at Aika. "_You're_ Dojima-san's niece?"

"You have ten seconds to convince me not to sack you _right this very second_," Uncle practically snarled.

"I-It was an honest mistake, sir!" Adachi protested weakly. "Sh-She didn't really give me an alibi, so she was as good a suspect as anyone else, especially since she was absent from school yesterday too."

"As good a suspect as anyone else?" Uncle repeated, his voice rising in anger. "Just look at her! Does she _look_ like someone who's capable of murdering someone and disposing of the body _on a fucking telephone pole_?"

"I'm sorry, sir!" Adachi yelped.

"And she wasn't at school yesterday because she was _sick_," Uncle continued. "I _personally_ can confirm her alibi. I was _there_."

"I-I understand, sir!"

"And where the hell did you get the _brilliant_ idea to detain _high school students_ for _being absent from school_?"

"I'm sorry, sir!"

Aika sighed as Uncle continued to rant at Adachi, and it was becoming more and more difficult not to feel sorry for the detective that arrested her. "H-Hey, hold up!" a familiar voice panted.

"Y-Yosuke?"

Sure enough, Yosuke was there, his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breath. Aika rubbed any and all traces of tears furiously from her eyes. "Oh good," he said. "So you're okay."

"So, uh…" Adachi started. "Aika, is it? Can I call you Aika-chan?" Uncle glared at him harshly. "Okay, so no Aika-chan. Got it. Um… I'm really sorry about all of this. This was all just a huge misunderstanding. Really. I'm sorry for the shitty welcome you got from us." Uncle cleared his throat loudly. "From me!" Adachi corrected himself. "So… sorry."

Adachi was staring at her earnestly, and any and all resentment Aika previously felt toward him was gone. "Um…" she mumbled. "Th-That's okay. I-I mean, y-you were just doing your job, right? So – so th-there's really no need… to apologize…"

"Wait, so you're not mad?" Adachi asked, his expression hopeful. Aika smiled nervously at him and shook her head. "Sweet! Hey, Dojima-san, your niece is pretty awesome!"

"Wait, _niece_?" Yosuke interjected. "You mean this guy's your uncle?"

"Got a problem with it?" Uncle retorted, raising one eyebrow at the student.

"N-No problems, sir!" Yosuke replied quickly. "I'm sorry, sir! I mean…" He groaned. "Never mind."

But Uncle simply chuckled. "Come on. I'll give you kids a ride back to school."

* * *

Yosuke didn't talk to her again until after school had ended, and he walked up to her desk just as he did before. "So…" he started awkwardly. "Uh…"

"You're not really helping your reputation, you know," Chie said flatly from the seat next to Aika. She climbed on top of her desk, swinging her legs absentmindedly. "Didn't you hear? People seriously think you guys are dating." Heat flooded Aika's face, and she clenched her fists tightly while fixing her gaze at the floor. "I mean, first you take off _running_ after her when she gets arrested, then you—"

"Okay, I get it!" Yosuke cut her off. "A-Anyway, that's not the point. What I'm saying is…" He exhaled sharply. "Look. I already talked to Chie about this yesterday, but I want to go back inside the TV."

"What?" Aika gasped. "Wh-Why would you want to…" She could still remember that oppressive fog, how sick she felt afterward…

"Just hear me out, okay?" Yosuke said. "So remember that bear? It said that someone's been throwing people in there. A-And that girl we saw on the Midnight Channel the other day… I'm pretty sure it was Saki-senpai. And there was this guy who said his soulmate was that announcer lady."

"It _could_ just be a coincidence," Aika pointed out.

"But that room with the posters on the wall," Yosuke said emphatically. "It _definitely_ has something to do with that announcer's death. That _entire world_ probably has something to do with Senpai and the announcer's death!" Aika bit her lower lip. "You don't have to come in with me. I just need your help getting there. I just… I just have to see for myself, what really happened."

"B-But it could be really dangerous…" Aika protested weakly.

"See?" Chie asked. "So I'm _not_ crazy for thinking it's a really stupid idea."

"Then again, I _do_ owe you for this morning…" Aika mused.

"It'll be okay," Yosuke assured her, smiling and winking at her. "I have a plan."

"We don't even know if that plan's gonna work," Chie pointed out. "But…" She sighed. "You really want this, don't you? Then I guess it's worth a shot."

"All right," Yosuke said in front of the TV they fell into just a couple days ago. "Here's what's going to happen." He reached into his backpack and pulled out a particularly long rope, tying one end around his waist. "Chie, you hold onto this." He handed the other end to the short-haired girl.

"Why do _I_ have to be the one to hold it?" she demanded.

"Because Aika has to work her magic on me, and she can't do that _and_ hold onto the rope," Yosuke deadpanned. Heat bloomed in Aika's cheeks as she processed what exactly he said. "By the way – _don't let go_."

"All right, all right," Chie grumbled. "But I'm pulling you out if you're not back in half an hour."

Yosuke sighed. "Okay, fine," he said, before winking at Aika. "Okay, Aika. Do your thing." Aika's face flushed even redder as she grabbed Yosuke's hand and guided it toward the TV screen. Sure enough, it seemed to dissolve into the TV screen. "Great! Thanks Aika! You're the best!" And then he was gone. Aika wanted to melt into the floor.

An awkward silence reigned, and Aika chewed her fingernails nervously. What if she just sent Yosuke to his death? What if he got stuck there, and his body showed up a few days later? What if… "Sorry, can you not do that?" Chie asked her. "You're actually making me _worried_ about him."

"S-Sorry…" Aika mumbled, wringing her hands together and staring at the floor self-consciously. "U-Um... d-do you think you could check on the rope? To – to see if it's secure?"

Chie shrugged. "If it'll make you stop fidgeting." She gave the rope a hard tug and then frowned.

Aika could practically feel the floor drop out from under her. "Wh-What's wrong?"

"I-I think he…" Chie replied shakily as she pulled the rope off. Within a few seconds, she reached a frayed end. "No _way_!"

Aika tugged at her hair. She felt like she was going to throw up, if she didn't pass out first. Dark spots zoomed across her vision as she hyperventilated. "Th-This can't be happening…"

"How did…" Chie spluttered, before groaning in frustration. "I _knew_ this wasn't gonna work! And now that idiot's stuck there!"

It occurred to Aika at that moment that this was all _her_ fault. _She_ was the one who accidentally brought them into that strange TV world. If they didn't fall in with her, Yosuke wouldn't have wanted to go back. Not to mention, there was no way he could have gotten there in the first place if she didn't help him in herself. "I'm going in after him," she said, her voice surprisingly clear.

"What?" Chie shrieked. "Are you crazy?"

"It's my fault he's stuck there right now," Aika said evenly. "I have to bring him back."

"Okay, then I'm going with you," Chie announced.

And, just like that, her resolved vanished. "You _can't_!"

Chie put her hands on her hips and glowered at Aika. "Why the hell not?"

"I…" Aika stared downward. "I can't… I can't be responsible for y-your…"

"What, so now I'm a _liability_?" Chie shot back. "You know what?" She promptly dropped the rope, and Aika's stomach sank. "Do whatever the hell you want. I'm out." Chie picked up her school bag and stormed away.

"Ch-Chie-san!" Aika called after her, but the taller girl didn't look back, or even acknowledge that Aika had said anything at all. Aika closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. _Worry about her later. Just focus on getting Yosuke back._ But as Aika climbed into the TV, forcing her body to go limp so that she could fall into it, she couldn't help but feel as if she'd _betrayed_ Chie somehow…

* * *

Aika grunted as she crashed to the ground, and the heavy, oppressive fog hit her like a punch in the stomach. Fortunately, the place was familiar – she was in the same studio-like place as before. "Just listen to me, you stupid bear!" she heard Yosuke yell from a little ways away. Aika huffed in annoyance. _Of course he's not in trouble…_ "All I want is to take a little look around—"

"I get it!" the bear cut him off. "You're the one behind all this!" Aika walked slowly in the general direction of the voices, and, sure enough, Yosuke and the round little bear came into view.

"What the hell did you just say?" Yosuke demanded.

"Wait!" the bear said suddenly. It seemed to lift its head upward – at least, Aika thought it did, since the fog made it difficult to see. "There's someone else here! And it's… It's the nice human!"

"Huh?" Yosuke asked. "What are you…"

"Y-Yosuke?" Aika said finally, shuffling toward him. "A-Are you okay? Th-The rope snapped, s-so…"

"What are you talking about?" Yosuke asked. "The rope's right…" He looked down and picked up the end of the rope around his waist, which was, sure enough, frayed. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"You _did_ come back!" the bear gushed, waddling toward Aika. "I've been waiting for you, my dearest." Aika raised her eyebrows and stepped hesitantly toward Yosuke.

"Dearest?" Yosuke echoed. "What the… that's so creepy!"

The bear's smile widened. "I know _you'd_ never throw anyone in here!" it enthused. "I know _you'd_ never mess this world up!"

"Throwing… people in?" Aika echoed. "B-But if people get stuck here, th-then they could die…"

"Who would do such a—" Yosuke started. "Wait a sec… All this talk about someone throwing people in here… Does he mean Senpai and the announcer?"

"M-Maybe…" Aika replied. "I don't know. It sounds kind of… impossible… then again, we fell inside a TV, so…"

"But if someone's _intentionally_ throwing people in here…" Yosuke said.

"… then whoever it was _wanted_ to kill them…" Aika finished. "That… That's horrible…"

"What's wrong?" the bear asked. "What are you guys mumbling about?"

"You talk," Yosuke said to Aika. "It might actually listen to you."

Aika took a deep breath. Somehow, talking to the strange bear wasn't nearly as nerve-wracking as talking to her classmates at school. "People are dying in our world," she said slowly, evenly. "And we think it might have to do with what you said – that people are getting thrown in here."

"Every time the fog appears, a body comes along with it," Yosuke appears.

"Hmm…" the bear mused. "I do know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent." His expression suddenly brightened. "Oh, I get it…"

"So these Shadow things…" Aika mused. "Are they the reason people who get thrown in here end up dead? Then…" She tensed suddenly. "Wh-What is this place?"

"I already told you!" the bear replied much too cheerfully. "It is what it is. Only me and Shadows are here!"

"We don't know what these Shadow things are!" Yosuke protested. "You know what? I bet _you're_ the culprit!"

"Y-Yosuke…"

"And what's with that costume, anyway?" Yosuke continued, as if Aika hadn't spoken up at all. "I think it's time you showed your face!" Without warning he yanked off the bear's head… only there was nothing inside. Aika shrieked and jumped backward. "Wh-What the hell are you?"

"It's empty inside…" Aika whimpered. "P-Put it back! G-Give him his head back!" But the bear bet them to it, flipping his head upward until it landed perfectly in place.

"B-But…" the bear mumbled. "I wouldn't do such a thing… I just want to live here peacefully…"

And Aika couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry," she said solemnly. "I know we're asking for a lot, but… strange things are happening in our world, and we just want to find out _why_."

"And _how_," Yosuke added.

"S-So you'll help me find the culprit?" the bear asked, his expression hopeful.

"Um…" A man's voice echoed in her mind, but there was no headache accompanying it. _A great mystery will be imposed upon you…_ "We'll do it."

"Well, might as well introduce ourselves," Yosuke said. "I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is Aika Nakamura. You got a name?"

"Teddie," the bear answered.

"Figures…" Yosuke grumbled. "But how are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?"

"I dunno," Teddie answered automatically. "Oh, but I know where the last person came in."

"W-Wait…" Yosuke interjected. "You mean Saki-senpai?"

"I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time," Teddie replied. "I dunno the name."

"Will you please take us there?" Aika asked.

Teddie's smile widened. "Anything for you, my dearest!"

Yosuke groaned. "Again with the 'dearest'…"

"Oh, one thing first," Teddie said. "You two should put these on." He reached… somewhere on his body… and pulled out two pairs of glasses – an orange pair for Yosuke and a white pair for Aika.

"What are these for?" Yosuke asked, putting them on hesitantly. When Aika put hers on – the frames were a little too big for her face – the fog seemed to clear, and she gasped loudly. The heaviness in the air was gone, and Aika felt… completely fine. "Wow, it's like the fog doesn't even exist!"

"Thank you, Teddie," Aika said sincerely.

"Okay!" the bear said cheerfully. "Let's go!"

"What is this place?" Yosuke asked as the three continued to walk. "It looks just like the shopping district…"

"Some weird places have appeared here recently," Teddie pointed out. "Things are getting so tangled. I dunno what to do…"

Aika smiled reassuringly at Teddie, petting the top of his head. "Don't worry," she told him. "We'll see if there's anything we can do."

"Hey, don't encourage him!" Yosuke yelled. "Listen up, you stupid bear. You better not be getting any funny ideas!" Teddie cowered, and Aika frowned sternly at him. "All right, all right…" He exhaled sharply. "But seriously though. What's with this place? Of all the places in town, why'd they replicate this one?"

"How should I know?" Teddie asked glumly. "This is reality for the one who's here."

Yosuke sighed exasperatedly. "As usual, nothing you say makes any sense," he grumbled. "But if this really is our shopping district, then Saki-senpai's…" His eyes widened as he trailed off, and he took off running without warning.

"Yosuke, wait!" Aika yelled after him. "It's…" But he was long gone, and she wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "He's going to get himself killed…"

"Well then we just have to stop him before that happens!" Teddie proclaimed dramatically. They ran in the same direction as Yosuke and found him standing in front of a green-roofed store. It looked relatively normal, except for the fact that the entrance was a black and red swirling vortex.

"I knew it!" he announced. "This is the liquor store Saki-senpai's family runs! Does this mean… Senpai disappeared here? What could've happened…?"

Aika put her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "Don't run off like that," she admonished him. "If people really are dying here, then it could be really dangerous."

"I wish Junes would go under."

Aika gasped and stared upward. It was as if the voice came from _everywhere_, as opposed to just one source.

"It's all because of that store…"

"Wh-What the…" Yosuke whispered.

"I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there," another voice said.

"Oh my… How could she, with her family's business suffering like it is…?"

"I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes."

"Yosuke…" Aika mumbled, looking up at him. He seemed to have withdrawn into himself, his expression forlorn.

"That poor father…" another voice said. "… to have his own daughter working for the _enemy_."

"What a troublesome child…"

"Hey…" Yosuke called out weakly. "Hey Ted!" Teddie turned around hesitantly. "You said this place is reality for those that are here, right? So… does this mean that this was Senpai's reality when she wandered in here?"

"I…" Teddie mumbled. "I only know about what's going on in here…"

"Fine," Yosuke spat, clenching his fists in anger. "Whatever's going on here… I'll find out myself!" He dashed into the vortex without looking back once.

"Y-Yosuke, wait!" Aika shrieked, running straight in after him. Only the second she stepped into the vortex, she was somewhere else – a dark room with crates littered everywhere. "S-Stop doing that!" she said to Yosuke as soon as she caught up with him.

"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you?" a man's voice echoed. "You know what the neighbors say about you, right? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work _there_, of all places!"

"I… I can't believe this…" Yosuke said quietly. "She always seemed like she had fun at work… Sh-She never said anything like this to me… You're telling me _this_ was how Senpai really saw things?"

He ran over to what appeared to be a counter littered with photos. One in particular caught her eye – one of Saki Konishi and Yosuke, smiling happily – only it was as if someone had sliced through it with a knife. "Yosuke, I'm so sorry…"

"I… never had the chance to say it…" Aika jumped when she heard Saki Konishi's voice echo through the room. "I always wanted to tell Hana-chan… that he was a real pain in the ass." Aika could hear Yosuke's breath catch in his throat. "I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all… But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic… What a dip!" Aika seethed for a few seconds before it occurred to her that her anger was directed to someone _dead_.

"P-Pain in the ass…?" Yosuke echoed faintly.

"Who cares about Junes, anyway?" Saki's voice continued. "Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbors talk behind my back… I wish everything would just disappear…"

"I-It's a lie…" Yosuke mumbled. "This can't be… Senpai's not like that…!"

Aika reached out to him hesitantly. "Yosuke…"

"It's so sad…" a strange, distorted voice said. "I feel so sorry for myself… Boo hoo…" But the voice didn't echo like Saki's did. Actually, it sounded like it came from…

"Y-Yosuke?" she mumbled, turning around. Sure enough, he was there, standing in front of a blue banner, his body cloaked in a strange dark aura. Only, there was something different about him – his eyes were glowing yellow. "Wh-What happened to you?"

"Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass," the distorted Yosuke said before cackling in laughter. "Except you, _Aika-chan_. You haven't done anything yet. But you're getting there _fast_."

"H-Huh?" Teddie whimpered. "Two Yosukes…?"

The real Yosuke – at least, the one who was with Aika before – ran to the apparition. "Who are you?" he demanded. "I-I wouldn't think that…"

The other Yosuke simply laughed. "Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself?" A cruel smirk was painted on his face, and Aika felt cold, hard fear settle in her gut. "Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!"

"Wh-What are you saying?" the real Yosuke asked. "That's not true, I—"

"And someone from the city _finally _comes along, and a cute girl at that," the other Yosuke continued, "and she's just as boring as everything else here!"

"Wh-What?" Aika whispered, her brown eyes widening.

"No," the real Yosuke said firmly. "Th-That's not… I don't…"

"You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky 'cause you're so terrified of being alone," the other Yosuke accused. "Who cares if she's not gonna be here for long? Who cares if she's _boring as hell_? Someone's _finally_ filling your _lonely existence_."

"Sh-Shut up!" the real Yosuke yelled.

"And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake?" the other Yosuke asked. "Hah! I know the _real _reason you came snooping…"

"S-Stop it!"

The other Yosuke chuckled darkly. "Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe… I _do_ know everything you're thinking! Why's that? Because I _am_ you! You just came here because you thought it sounded like a good time! And it gave you an excuse to hang out with that chick! A world inside the TV – now that's exciting! And there's no way you can get in without sweet little _Aika-chan_, which means she'd _have_ to spend time with you! And maybe you'd actually get to know her, and find that she really isn't so boring! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you?"

"That's not true…" Yosuke mumbled. "Stop… Stop it…"

"Hey, maybe she'd _appreciate_ you if all went well!" the other Yosuke pointed out. "Maybe she'd _fall in love_ with you. Finally give you a reason to stick around this shithole, since she seems to _love_ it so much. Maybe she'd actually think you're _important_! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!"

"That's not true!" the real Yosuke yelled. "What are you? Who are you?"

"Wh-Whoa, hang on a second…" Teddie whimpered. "Th-That other Yosuke's looking a lot like…"

"I already told ya," the other Yosuke said with a chuckle. "I'm you… Your Shadow… There's nothing I don't know about you!"

"Screw that!" Yosuke yelled. "I don't know you! You can't be me, you son of a bitch!"

The other Yosuke cackled with laughter, and his golden eyes seemed to glow more brightly. "That's right… I'm not _you_ anymore!"

"This isn't good!" Teddie yelled.

There was a brilliant flash of white light, and the next thing Aika knew, Yosuke was crumpled on the floor, and a large frog-like creature with large yellow hands swinging in the air loomed before her. "I am a shadow," it said. "The true self… I'll crush everything that bores me!" Red eyes narrowed down on her. "Starting with _you_."

A violent gust of wind coming from the creature knocked Aika backwards, and she fell to the floor with a thud. "N-No!" Teddie yelled. "That's a really powerful Shadow! You have to be careful!"

The Shadow seemed to swoop down, and the next thing she knew, her body was being crushed in one of its giant yellow hands. "What's the matter, _Aika-chan_? Too _boring_ to fight _back_?" And then she was flying. She must have collided with the wall at some point, because pain radiated through her entire body, and she was on the floor. And then, her ears began to ring, and her head exploded with pain.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…_

There was a card in her hand – a card depicting a lantern floating above a single eye. It was as if the card was always there, though she could swear she wasn't holding it before. She felt like she was watching the scene from somewhere up above, instead of actually participating in it. She flipped the card over, and the other side was completely blank, though she could see her face reflected off its surface. Then, it was as if she'd always known exactly what to do.

"Per… so… na…"

She pulled the card close to her chest, one hand clutching the other tightly, and she crushed the card with all the strength she could muster, the sound of shattering glass echoing in the air. Once she did, it was as if something was being forcibly dragged out of her, and she screamed. All the while, a female voice echoed in her mind, only there was no strange ringing in her ears or headache accompanying it – only an immense swell of power.

_Thou art I… and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul, I come to thee. I am Aoandon, spirit of the blue lantern._

Aika's eyes were burning, but she forced them open anyway. A large figure loomed before the Shadow, cloaked in a strange bluish light. On closer inspection, it looked like a normal woman carrying a glowing blue lantern, save for the small horns on top of her head and her glowing white eyes.

"Aoandon… I need your help." The words came to Aika quickly, as if she'd always known them. "Megido!" she cried, and the Shadow was engulfed in light. It fell to the ground with a splat. Darkness swirled around it, as it reverted back to its original form as Yosuke's doppelganger. Aoandon loomed before Aika, nodding once before it was engulfed in a bright light. In its place was the same card Aika was holding before, and it slowly descended, disintegrating into light. The surge of power she felt before dissipated almost immediately, and she collapsed to her knees. "Wh-What was that…?"

"Wow…" Teddie gasped. "Sensei, that was awesome!"

"S-Sensei?" Aika echoed faintly.

The real Yosuke groaned as he sat up. "I… I…"

Teddie rushed over to him immediately. "Yosuke! Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" he answered shakily. "What… happened?" He stared at Aika as if she'd grown a second head. "What did you just _do_?"

"I…" Aika said, struggling to breathe. "I don't know…"

Yosuke walked over to his Shadow with a sigh. "You're… not me…"

"That thing came from you, Yosuke," Teddie said solemnly. "You have to admit it, or it'll go berserk again."

"I-I don't think I can fight it off again…" Aika admitted. She struggled to stand up, clutching Yosuke's arm tightly to steady herself. "I think I understand," she said. "Your Shadow… It's like Aoandon. It's a part of you, just like Aoandon's a part of me. But… there's lots of sides to us, and your Shadow's just one of them. It doesn't mean that it's all that you are."

"I know, but…" he protested. "Damn it, it hurts to face yourself…" He pulled away from her slowly. "I knew I wasn't lying… but I was so ashamed that I didn't want to admit it. You're me… and I'm you. When you get down to it, all of this is me." The Shadow nodded once before it was engulfed in a bright light. A large figure with a flowing red cape floated above Yosuke, it's expression calm. It shrank into a card just like Aoandon had done before, and Aika saw a warm light envelop Yosuke's body. "Jiraiya, huh?" he said faintly. "So this is my Persona…"

When Yosuke sank to his knees, Aika stumbled over to him, falling to her knees as well. "Yosuke, are you okay?"

But he simply stared solemnly at the floor. "When we heard Senpai's voice…" he said, "I wonder if that was something Senpai had been keeping down inside." He laughed mirthlessly. "'A real pain in the ass,' huh? What a way to find out… Geez, this is so embarrassing…"

"I don't know…" Aika said slowly. "I only met her once, and even though she may not have liked you that much… I don't think she _hated_ you either."

He laughed again and stared at Aika with something akin to admiration. "You're something else, you know that? If you weren't here I don't know what would've happened… Thanks, Aika. And after I said all those awful things about you too…"

"But it was your Shadow that said them," Aika pointed out.

"No, it was all me," Yosuke refuted. "It's hard, but if I don't accept it now, I'll never be able to do it. I took one little thing you said way out of context, and judged you because of it. I'm sorry. Whether you're boring or interesting, I have no frickin' clue. I don't know you well enough to make that call. So…" He smiled gently at her. "Let's start over, okay?"

Aika smiled back and nodded. "Okay."

They both stood up shakily, leaning heavily on each other for support. "Wow, I never though facing yourself could be so _exhausting_…" Yosuke muttered. "Hey, Teddie… Could Senpai have been attacked by her other self here? Like how it just happened to me?"

Teddie grinned widely at them. "I think so," he replied. "The Shadows here were originally born from humans. Sometimes the fog clears. Then they all go berserk. And you saw what happens next. A strong-willed Shadow draws others to it, and the big mass of Shadows kills the host."

"That sounds painful…" Aika mumbled.

"So that's why people die when it gets foggy in our world…" Yosuke mused.

The exhaustion finally set in, and Aika's limbs seemed to grow heavier. "You both look really worn out…" Teddie pointed out. "This world isn't made for humans. It's not comfortable for you here. I don't hear any more voices, so I think we're done with this place."

"Do you think you can lead us out, Teddie?" Aika asked.

"Of course!" the bear replied as he waddled ahead, Aika and Yosuke dragging their feet behind him.

"Hey Teddie," Yosuke said. "You said that this place is reality for people who enter, right? So that shopping district and that weird room we saw before… Did they exist because the ones who died entered this world, and it became their reality?"

"So you're saying those places formed… because of the people who entered this world?" Aika asked.

"I don't know," Teddie answered. "It's never happened before. But that's probably where they were when the Shadows attacked them."

"And that happens when the fog lifts?" Aika asked.

"I always get so scared," Teddie whimpered. "I have to hide when it happens… I sensed people here twice before, but both of them disappeared after the fog lifted."

"Yamano-san and Konishi-san…" Aika whispered.

"So let me get this straight," Yosuke interjected. "Senpai and that Yamano lady were thrown in here, and since they couldn't get out, they wandered around. After a while, that Shadow thing came out of them. The fog cleared, it went berserk, and it ended up killing them."

"And that's when the bodies end up back in our world," Aika finished.

"So if I'd been here until the fog cleared, I would've been in much deeper trouble?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," Teddie replied. "You were lucky Sensei and me were here with you."

"Wait, _Sensei_?" Yosuke said. "Are you talking about Aika? Then again, what she did to my Shadow _was_ pretty cool… But hey, I can do that now too! So you can call me 'Sensei' too!"

"Maybe when you get on her level," Teddie replied reverently.

"T-Teddie…" Aika mumbled, her cheeks heating up. "Y-You don't have to call me that…"

"Wait, so…" Yosuke continued, trailing off. "Damn it! So Senpai and that announcer… They were stuck here all alone. No one could save them."

"Yosuke…" Teddie said sympathetically. "They disappeared when the fog lifted, but they were safe before that. No Shadows attacked them."

"But that confirms our theory," Aika said slowly. "Whoever it is that's throwing people in here knows that they won't survive."

"Wait, are you saying that if anyone gets thrown in here, we can save them before they disappear?" Yosuke asked excitedly. "Like how Aika just saved me?"

"But if we don't catch the person throwing people in here, we'll just be running around in circles, cleaning up after their mess," Aika pointed.

"Um…" Teddie piped up. "Can I ask something too? If Shadows were born from humans, what was Teddie born from?"

"You don't even know where you came from?" Yosuke asked. "How should _we_ know?"

"I know some things," Teddie said glumly. "Mostly about this world. But I don't know anything about myself. To be honest, I never thought about it until now."

Aika sighed. "Well… we could _think_ about it… and get back to you if we come up with anything."

"So does that mean…" Teddie said, looking excited. "Does that mean you guys will come back?"

"Well, you said you wouldn't let us out unless we caught the guy responsible," Yosuke pointed out, smiling.

"Okay!" Teddie said. "I'll be waiting for you guys here. That means you have to come in from the same place every time, so we can meet up."

"Are you saying that if we come in from somewhere else, we won't end up here?" Aika asked. "So we just have to come in through the TV in Junes every time."

"Sounds good," Yosuke agreed. "So can you show us the way out?"

Teddie beamed at them. "Roger that! One exit comin' right up!"

* * *

Aika and Yosuke tumbled outside the TV in the electronics department of Junes, and the rope they'd tried to use as a lifeline was still lying discarded on the floor. "Sheesh…" Yosuke groaned, picking it up. "Are the employees sleeping on the job?" His eyes widened suddenly. "Hey, wait a minute. Where's Chie?"

Aika stared downward, clasping her hands together tightly. "She… um…"

"It's okay," Yosuke said, smiling at her. "You can tell me later." He sighed heavily, and his shoulders sagged in exhaustion. "I'm completely wiped out…"

"Me too…" Aika agreed.

"Think you can get home okay?"

Aika nodded. "Yeah, I think so. What about you?"

"I'll be fine," Yosuke assured her. "I think I'll go soak in the shower for a while and get some sleep. I think… I'm gonna sleep well tonight." Aika just smiled at him, and he waved at her before walking away. "See you tomorrow!"

* * *

"So how was prison?" Masami Nakamura asked Aika on the phone. "I heard you got arrested."

"I didn't get arrested!" Aika protested. She was speaking on the house phone, lounging on the couch. "Well, I guess I did… But it was just a big misunderstanding!"

"So how bad was the eruption of Mount Ryo-chan?"

"Devastating," Aika deadpanned. "Coworkers were almost fired and classmates would have wet their pants had they not relieved themselves beforehand."

"So what's this about you getting a boyfriend?"

Aika flushed a furious shade of red. "Yosuke's not my boyfriend!" Uncle snorted, and she pulled the receiver away from her ear and glared at him. "He's _not_."

"So his name's Yosuke, huh?" Mom asked teasingly.

Aika sighed. "Yeah. He's a boy, and he's my friend, but he's not my _boyfriend_."

Her mother let out an ear-piercing squeal, and Aika held the receiver away from her ear and grimaced. "Do my ears deceive me, or did Aika Nakamura just say she made a _friend_?"

"I guess I did," Aika answered, prompting her mother to squeal again.

"Oh, but you're friend's a guy, huh? Okay, so remember, kiddo: prison rules apply. Assert your dominance right away."

"Assert… my dominance?" Aika echoed. "What do you…" The meaning finally sank in. "Ew, _Mom_!"

"What? What's so bad about… oh." Her mother chuckled, and Aika wanted to melt into the floor. "Wow, Aika. A few days away from me, and you've already turned into a pervert."

"Is she giving you the whole 'assert your dominance' speech?" Uncle asked, amusement evident in his voice. "I got that one too."

"Seriously?" Aika asked incredulously.

"On my first day of middle school," Uncle replied, nodding.

"Hey, he needed it!" her mother pointed out. "Ryo-chan was a total wuss, back in the day. Think he's a badass detective now? I'm the one who got him there."

"Because he 'asserted his dominance'," Aika deadpanned.

"You know it," her mother replied.

"What's dominance?" Nanako asked, tilting her head to the side.

Uncle chuckled. "I'll tell you when you're older," he said, patting the little girl on the head.

And as the hours ticked by, Aika could finally say with confidence that she was really happy in Inaba.

* * *

_The Naruto reference was Aika "filling [Yosuke's] lonely existence". If you got that, a virtual cookie for you. Why the Naruto reference? Yuri Lowenthal, Yosuke's voice actor, voices Sasuke in Naruto._

_So I sort of squeezed everything up to Yosuke accepting his Shadow into one chapter. Or rather, I wrote and went: "NOOOOOO I REFUSE TO END THIS CHAPTER UNTIL I REACH THIS POINT." _

_A bit on Aika's initial Persona (which is NOT a previously existing Persona, so you won't find it if you try looking it up on wiki sites): so during the Edo period, people would gather in rooms and light one hundred candles inside andon lamps, which were covered with blue paper to create an eerie atmosphere. Then, one hundred ghost stories would be told, and at the end of each one, one of the candles would be put out, so this room's just getting darker and darker the more stories are told. When the last candle was put out and the room finally went completely dark, a spirit (yokai) was said to appear, and that spirit is Aoandon. _

_So Aika's Persona specializes in Light, Dark, and Almighty skills, as well as status ailments. So yeah. It comes with Hama, Mudo, and Megido. Awesome (Mary Sue), right? Not really, since, in this story at least, Hama and Mudo will rarely, if ever, work, which leaves Aika no choice but to use Almighty skills (which sap a ridiculous amount of SP) and status ailments (which, again, don't always work, though their success rates are higher than Hama and Mudo's). Not to mention, Aoandon's Strength and Endurance stats are abysmal, since she's technically a ghost (though Agility is quite high, while Magic and Luck are mediocre, with Luck a bit higher than Magic). Which, in turn, forces Aika to rely on the Wild Card, something she doesn't really want to do (this will be explained once Velvet Room shenanigans commence)._

_As for Social Links and whatnot, I'll tell you what I intended to happen, and you can tell me how successful I was. For Yosuke specifically, he's supposed to be rather flirtatious in the beginning, before he mellows out after obtaining his Persona. His Social Link starts out as a friendship and, if this were a game, you'd have the option to pursue a romantic relationship later on in the Social Link if you want. But in this story, he's the romance option I'm going with._

_Please review!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Shout out to Persona 1 in this chapter. And WHEEEE, TWO SHADOWS. Enjoy!_

* * *

Sometime after falling asleep, Aika woke up to a familiar room cloaked in blue velvet. "Welcome," said the bald man with the long nose. His name was Igor, if she remembered correctly. "Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world. I have summoned you within your dreams."

"So just like in the train," Aika mused.

Igor grinned at her. "And so we meet again. Now, allow me to introduce my assistant." He gestured to the foreign-looking blonde woman sitting next to him. "This is Margaret. She will assist you in your endeavors."

Margaret graced Aika with a warm smile. "Pleased to meet you," she said in a pleasant voice. "This is a space that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter."

"But I don't remember signing any contract," Aika pointed out. "Nothing out of the ordinary, at least."

"In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken, and you chose to follow the destiny of your inner voice," Margaret explained, "thereby enacting your glorious awakening to your power."

"My power…" Aika echoed. "Are you talking about Aoandon? My Persona?"

Margaret nodded. "Correct," she answered.

"I didn't have to face my Shadow to access her power," Aika thought aloud, "so did you call me here because of that? Or is it the other way around? Did I not have to face my Shadow _because_ I was called here before?"

"All will be explained in due time, my dear," Igor said sagely. "But to answer one of your questions, you did not have to face any Shadow because there was none to begin with."

"In other words, you are completely honest with yourself," Margaret clarified. "What you choose to hide from the world, you are not necessarily hiding from yourself. You are perfectly aware of your own faults and shortcomings, and do not make excuses for them – something that would have caused a Shadow to manifest." The tiniest of smiles appeared on her face. "You truly are worthy of the Hermit Arcanum."

"Hold onto this," Igor instructed her. Aika's hand tingled briefly, and then there was a cold, metal key there. "From this night forth, you are our guest in this Velvet Room. Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that, you will inevitably require our help."

"Okay, so what's the catch?" Aika asked.

"There is but one price," Igor explained. "You must abide by your contract and assume responsibility for all decisions you make."

Aika frowned in confusion. "That's it?" she asked. "Isn't everyone supposed to do that anyway?"

"Not everyone follows the same moral principles that you do," Margaret pointed out.

Aika exhaled slowly and nodded. "I understand."

"Very well," Igor said, his grin widening. "The Persona you have acquired… It is a side of you that shows itself when you face the world around you. Perhaps you can think of it as… a façade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life."

"So that's what she meant when she said we're the same…" Aika said quietly. "But you said something about honing my power. If my power were the same as Yosuke's, then he'd be here too, right? Or you would've met with him at some point. But I awakened to my Persona without having to face my Shadow like he did… Does that make me… different?"

"Your ability is that of the Wild Card," Igor explained. "Compared to that of others, it is very special. It is like the number zero… empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself. This particular ability is the power to control one's own heart… and the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona's abilities."

"I'm sorry," Aika said. "I don't really understand what you're talking about."

"Social Links are necessary for more than strengthening your Persona," Margaret said. "At times, they will help light the way to the truth you are searching for."

"So…" Aika said slowly. "You want me… to use my relationships with other people… to strengthen my Persona? Isn't that… well… _using_ them? I don't think I could do that to them."

"All relationships are inherently selfish," Margaret said bluntly.

"Not to mention, with the nature of your power, it will happen regardless of what you desire," Igor said. "Now I believe it is time for you to return to your own world. I look forward to traveling the road of your destiny together."

He chuckled, and Aika's vision began to darken. "Wait!" she cried. "I'm not finished yet!" But it was too late, and her vision faded entirely to black, and when her eyes flew open again, she was staring at the ceiling of a room that didn't quite feel hers yet, dim light streaming through the window. The bone-deep exhaustion she'd felt after awakening to Aoandon was gone, without a trace of it having existed at all. Sitting innocently on her table was the pair of white-rimmed glasses Teddie had given her the day before. Aika exhaled sharply, making a note to purchase a case and cleaning cloth for it, as she stood up, ready to face a new life.

* * *

Chie approached her after school, her face deceptively blank. "So…" the short-haired girl drawled.

"Um…" Aika mumbled.

"About yesterday…" Chie continued hesitantly.

"I-I didn't mean to…" Aika said quietly.

"I'm sorry!" both girls blurted out at the same time. Chie laughed, and it was as if a great weight was lifted from Aika's chest. "And here I thought you'd be mad," Chie said.

"I-I thought you would be…" Aika mumbled. "Um… I didn't mean to offend you or anything, Chie-san. I just…"

"I know," Chie said helpfully. "You thought what happened was your fault, and you wanted to fix it without dragging anyone else into it. You know, you really don't look like it, but you sure have nerves of steel!"

"I-I do?" Aika asked.

"Well, you _did_ sort of jump in after Yosuke at the first sign of danger, even though you knew it could be dangerous," Chie pointed out. "I wish I was brave enough to do something like that."

Aika could feel her face heat up. "I-I'm not that brave though. I was really scared, but it was my fault he was in that situation to begin with, so I just…"

"Yeah, but it takes a lot of guts to own up to that," Chie said. "It sounds like something straight out of a kung fu movie, ya know?" She sighed. "Guess I should start following their lessons. I really do have a long way to go…"

Aika took a deep breath to strengthen her resolve and said without stammering: "I wish I could be like you, Chie-san."

"Huh?" Chie asked, bewildered. "Me?"

Aika nodded. Now there really was no turning back. "You're really nice, and you have a lot of friends, a-and it's not like you _have_ to spend time with me or anything but you do it anyway, and…" She trailed off as she ran out of words.

Chie's grin was too wide for her face. "Aw, that's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me!" she gushed. "But hey, let me know when you do more… TV stuff, okay? I wanna help."

Aika nodded. "Okay."

And then, suddenly, there was a voice echoing in her mind.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Chariot Arcanum…_

Aika gasped, and Chie frowned at her in concern. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Huh?" Aika mumbled, looking up at Chie. "Oh… yeah…" Were these the Social Links that Igor was talking about? _So when he said it would happen "regardless of my desire," he wasn't kidding…_

"Hey, what's your cell number?" Chie asked. "I'm kind of busy today, but we should _definitely_ hang out later."

Aika smiled and nodded. "Okay." Chie left not long after exchanging numbers with her, and Aika sighed, smiling contentedly. Just because these Social Links would happen automatically, didn't mean that Aika had to _use_ them, right?

"So _that's_ what happened." Aika jumped when she saw Yosuke standing by her desk, smirking. "Geez, you made it sound like the world imploded or something."

"Um…" Aika mumbled. "Well I know it's not such a big deal _now_, but yesterday…"

"I get it, I get it," Yosuke said. "So anyway, remember how I was gonna take you out for grilled steak before this whole mess started?" Aika flushed a furious shade of red and nodded. "Well, if you're not too busy right now, I'd like to finally make good on that. And I promise, I won't take you to Junes this time."

"I… um…" _If that Social Link thing happened with Chie, then it'll probably happen with Yosuke too… No! Stop it! I'm not going to use it, I'm not going to use it…_ "Okay."

* * *

The steak was better than Aika had expected, and though she tried to eat daintily, she couldn't help nearly inhaling the food in front of her. Yosuke grinned as he ate his own steak, though not quite as voraciously. "You like it, don't you?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice. "What did I tell you? Inaba's got great steak for such a tiny place in the middle of nowhere."

"I didn't know grilled steak could taste this good," Aika admitted, and she _had_ tried many varieties before. Unlike the steak served by some places in Tokyo and Mikage-cho and Sumaru, this steak wasn't drenched in grease or over-seasoned. In fact, the grease to seasoning ratio was nearly perfect. She could pick out hints of garlic, onion, black pepper… Not to mention, it was cooked perfectly – neither overdone nor underdone.

"So are you okay now?" Yosuke asked suddenly.

She tilted her head to the side. "Huh?"

His forehead creased in concern, and Aika blushed. "You got really sick after we went into the TV for the first time, right?" Yosuke asked. "That's why you missed school that day, and then you had to get all caught up in this murder case after that… You shouldn't overdo it, especially on the first week of school."

Aika flushed even redder as it occurred to her that Yosuke wasn't trying to make himself look attractive to her or anything – he was _genuinely_ concerned about her. He was making an honest effort to befriend her, to make up for everything his Shadow had revealed about his thoughts toward her before. "I'm fine now," she said quietly. "I think… I think it was Aoandon that gave me such a hard time."

"What do you mean?" Yosuke asked.

"Ever since I first saw the Midnight Channel," Aika explained, "I could hear her voice in my head. It was like… like she was trying to get out, or something. And every time I heard her, I'd get this really bad headache, and then I'd feel really sick. When we first went into the TV, I could hear her all the time."

"Huh…" Yosuke mumbled. "I guess that explains it then. That's weird, though… that never happened to me."

"It's a good thing," Aika pointed out. "You're really lucky you didn't have to go through that."

Yosuke grinned at her. "Well, you got sick, I had to deal with my Shadow, so I guess we're even."

Aika gave him a flat look. "Except _I_ had to deal with your Shadow."

Yosuke waved his hand dismissively. "Minor technicalities," he said simply. "Seriously, though. Do you feel all right now?"

Aika nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He smiled back. "That's good to hear." When the Social Link formed, it didn't surprise Aika as much as Chie's had.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Magician Arcanum…_

Still, she grimaced when the bond formed, prompting Yosuke to stare at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm _fine_," she said a bit too forcefully, then immediately backtracked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Don't worry about it," Yosuke said with a smile. "Anyway, did you see the Midnight Channel last night?"

"No," Aika replied. "I was really tired after we got back, so I went to bed early last night. Did you?"

"Yeah, and I saw someone," Yosuke answered, his voice serious. "I couldn't tell who it was because the silhouette was so fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure it was a girl. It's supposed to rain again tonight, so I'm gonna watch it again."

"I will too," Aika told him. "Um… what's your number? I-I'll call you i-if I find anything."

"Okay, sounds good," Yosuke said. "It's…"

* * *

Aika sat with her back propped up against the table, Teddie's white-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Though they didn't do anything to her vision, Aika felt more… secure with them on. Sure enough, at midnight, the TV whirred to life, except instead of a blurry, indistinct image like she got the last time she watched the Midnight Channel, the TV was rather clear. A girl with long black hair, wearing a frilly pink dress and a tiara appeared on the screen, holding a pink microphone. "Good evening!" she greeted cheerfully, and Aika widened her eyes in surprise.

"Yukiko-san…?"

"Tonight, Princess Yukiko has a big surprise," the girl on the screen said. "I'm gonna go score myself a hot stud! Welcome to 'Not a Dream, Not a Hoax'! Princess Yukiko's hunt for her prince charming! And I came prepared!" Aika looked away as Yukiko's hand drifted downward, to just below her abdomen. "I've got my lacy unmentionables on…" She bent downward, showing off her cleavage. "… stacked from top to bottom! I'm off to catch a whole harem, and the best of them will be all mine! Well, here I go!" The camera seemed to pan out, and Yukiko ran into a swirling red and black vortex.

The screen faded to black, leaving Aika blinking at it in confusion. "What just happened…?" Her phone rang suddenly, and she answered it without looking to see who was calling. "H-Hello?"

"H-Hey, did you see that?" Yosuke asked shakily on the other line.

"I don't… know…" Aika mumbled. "What just happened?"

"That was Yukiko-san for sure!" Yosuke said. "It looked like her… I mean, she even said her name!"

"I don't think…" Aika said quietly, struggling to put her own racing thoughts into words. "I mean… She didn't _act_ anything like Yukiko-san."

"And she looked like she was on some low-budget TV show," Yosuke pointed out. "Was it like this before too?"

"Definitely not," Aika said flatly. "I couldn't even tell who it was before." She exhaled sharply. "What if… What if Yukiko-san's the next target?"

"We should probably contact her," Yosuke advised. "But… damn, I don't have her number… Oh! Chie would know! … but I don't have her number either."

"I do," Aika said helpfully. "I'll try calling her."

"Okay," Yosuke said. "Let me know what happens."

As it turned out, Aika didn't even need to try. Less than two seconds after hanging up with Yosuke, Chie called her. "Wh-Wh-What was that?" Chie screeched, and Aika had to hold the phone away from her ear so that her ear wouldn't burst open.

"L-Let me guess," Aika said quietly. "You saw the Midnight Channel too."

"But Yukiko would _never_ say something like that!" Chie yelled. "'Score a hot stud'? What was she… What're we gonna do?"

"Why don't we try asking Teddie tomorrow?" Aika suggested as gently as she could.

"Teddie?" Chie echoed. "Who's that?" She paused briefly. "Oh, you mean that bear who let us out the other day?"

"He said someone was throwing people in," Aika told Chie. "If Yukiko-san really _is_ in danger, he'd be the first to know."

"So we're just gonna head over to Junes tomorrow and ask him?" Chie asked.

"I… guess," Aika said slowly. "I'll call Yosuke and let him know too."

"Okay, you do that," Chie said, hanging up almost immediately afterward.

Aika dialed Yosuke's number, breathing deeply to calm her nerves. "Yosuke-kun?" she said as soon as he picked up. "Chie-san knows, so we're both heading to Junes tomorrow morning."

"All right," he said. "I'll come too. Anyway, there's something that's been bothering me about what Teddie said yesterday. He said that when your Shadow goes berserk, it draws other Shadows to it. That means that there are other Shadows besides the ones that come from us."

"The ones that kill the people in there when the fog lifts, right?" Aika asked.

"Right. So what if they attack us?"

"Why would they attack us?"

"Why _wouldn't_ they? So just to be safe, bring something you can use as a weapon tomorrow. Preferably something you can get away with carrying in public. And tell Chie to do the same."

Aika exhaled sharply. "Okay…"

She finally collapsed on her futon at almost one o'clock.

* * *

When Aika woke up the next morning, it was as if she hadn't fallen asleep at all. Pulling on a sweater Auntie had knitted for her back when she first entered middle school (she stopped growing around then) and pinning her hair back haphazardly with a clip, she dragged her feet downstairs. It was still dark out, as Aika had set her alarm for a time where she knew Uncle and Nanako wouldn't be up. She spent the next hour or so sautéing vegetables, making a mental note to go shopping for better ingredients so she could make better things. Uncle came down as she was piling vegetables into omelettes. "Morning," she said distractedly as she rolled up one omelette and lifted it onto a plate, oiling the pan where it was before.

"Oh, you're up," he said tiredly. "Listen, I'm gonna head into work."

"Can you wait for a few minutes?" Aika asked as she scrambled to find a box.

"I… guess?" A few minutes later, Aika was holding out a bento for her uncle, and he frowned at it quizzically. "What's this?"

"Lunch," Aika answered. "Or breakfast. Or… just food, I guess."

He opened the lid, and Aika's stomach flopped when his eyes seemed to bug out a little. "You didn't need to go through the trouble."

Aika smiled sheepishly. "That's okay. I know you're really busy, and I don't know what you do for food, so I thought you'd like something homemade."

He stared at her with an expression halfway between a smile and a grimace. "You really don't have to—"

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm doing the same thing for Nanako and myself," Aika said flatly. "Besides – I _like_ cooking. It's no trouble at all."

He exhaled slowly and closed the bento. "Well… thanks," he said.

And then the voice in her head was back.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Hierophant Arcanum…_

Aika winced when the Social Link formed. _Why did one form with Uncle? I've known him my entire life! Aren't Social Links supposed to form with people I _don't_ know?_

"Something wrong?" Uncle asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I'm fine," Aika replied hastily.

But he didn't appear convinced at all. "If you're sure…"

"Really!" Aika said a bit exasperatedly. "I… Nothing's wrong."

He frowned at her for a few more seconds before shrugging and heading to the door. "Well, I'm off."

"Bye, Uncle," Aika said quietly, waiting until he shut the door before she headed back into the kitchen.

Nanako came down several minutes later, taking a quick glance around before sighing and sitting by the table. "Good morning," she said to Aika. "Are you making breakfast?"

"Yeah," Aika replied as she handed her younger cousin a plate carrying two omelette rolls. "Your dad left for work already."

Nanako seemed to sag visibly. "Oh…"

When Aika finally joined Nanako at the table, the TV was on. Breakfast was a quiet affair as usual, and Aika ate quickly so that she could leave quickly. It wasn't until she was at the sink, washing dishes, that Yosuke's suggestion to bring something she could use as a weapon resurfaced. She looked to the clean dishes, where a frying pan sat innocently. She lifted it, weighing it in her hand and shifting it from one hand to another. _I wonder…_

She took it upstairs, making sure Nanako wasn't watching, and rummaged through her various move-in boxes that she had yet to unpack for a backpack. She found one quickly enough, and she stuffed the frying pan in there, along with her wallet, cell phone, and keys.

When she made her way downstairs again, she felt rather guilty when she caught Nanako staring at her. "Are you going somewhere?" the little girl asked.

"Um…" Aika wanted to melt into the floor. Nanako was going to be all alone at home, and Aika had no idea when she'd be back… but then again, she promised Yosuke she'd meet him… "Yeah…" If it was her mother in Nanako's place, Aika would probably be shoved out the front door with a squeal of delight that she was _finally _hanging out with friends. But Nanako…

"I'll be fine by myself," Nanako said in an inflectionless tone.

"Um…" Aika mumbled making her way towards the door. "I-I'll see you later, Nanako…"

* * *

Aika met Yosuke and Chie at the food court in Junes, at the table they'd used back when she first met Saki Konishi. Yosuke eyed her and Chie evenly. "So…" he said. "What have you guys got?"

Aika unzipped her backpack and pulled out the frying pan. "Um… I brought this."

"A frying pan?" Yosuke asked incredulously. "That's not a weapon! Well, I guess you could hit things with it… But isn't your uncle a detective?"

Aika shrugged. "It's not like he leaves any weapons lying around at home." She surreptitiously placed the frying pan back in her backpack and zipped it up. "So what did you bring?"

Yosuke laughed nervously and pulled out two monkey wrenches. "I found these at home," he said sheepishly.

"Those aren't weapons either!" Chie yelled.

"Oh yeah?" Yosuke shot back. "So what did _you_ bring?"

"I don't _need_ any weapons!" Chie proclaimed. "I'll just kick everything that gets in my way!" She screeched something that probably came from a kung fu movie.

Yosuke sighed. "Well, we'll just need to defend ourselves, so I think we're good."

"And we still have our Personas, right?" Aika asked.

"Persona?" Chie echoed. "What are you guys talking about?"

"We'll explain later," Yosuke said hurriedly. "Right now, we'll just ask Teddie if he's seen anything."

"But Yukiko really did disappear!" Chie shouted. "I called her cell this morning, and she didn't pick up, so I called her home phone, and…"

"So she's probably inside the TV already…" Aika said quietly. "We should probably get going."

"Both of you…" Yosuke said slowly. "Just… don't push yourselves, okay?"

"What, you don't wanna fight with two _girls_?" Chie demanded.

"It's called trying to be a gentleman!" Yosuke yelled back. "I'm being _considerate_!

Needless to say, they didn't make it into the electronics department until almost half an hour later.

* * *

"Whoa, it really is that bear from last time!" Chie gasped when she saw Teddie standing in a corner. "H-Hey! Um… Teddie right? Someone came in here recently, right?"

Teddie turned around, his eyes wide. "Wow! There's a girl with a better nose than me?" He grinned. "What's your name, miss?"

"M-Miss?" Chie echoed. "Uh… I'm Chie. But never mind that! Tell me more about that 'someone'!"

"I think it happened sometime yesterday," Teddie explained, his eyes drifting over to Yosuke and Aika. "Sensei! Yosuke! You came back!"

Aika smiled at him. "Of course we came back," she said. "Um… we're looking for the person who fell in here. Sh-She's someone we know."

"The presence is over that way," Teddie said, pointing to different walkway from the ones Aika had used before.

"Then let's go already!" Chie yelled, running in the direction to which Teddie pointed.

"Ch-Chie-san, wait!" Aika called after her, practically yanking the frying pan out of the backpack. "Teddie, is it okay if we leave our stuff here?"

"Of course!" Teddie replied as Yosuke pulled out his wrenches. "It's not like anyone's going to take it."

Smiling at the bear one last time, Aika ran after Chie, and, before long, she found herself before what appeared to be a large castle. Sure enough, Chie was standing in front of it, with her mouth open. "What the… Y'think this is the place they showed on TV?"

"Wait, hold on a sec," Yosuke interjected. "Is there… someone behind a camera for that bizarre midnight program?"

"Program…?" Teddie echoed. "I don't know. Maybe people on your side can see stuff in this world. It might be that. And I told you before! There's only me and Shadows here! There's no 'camera' stuff going on. This world has been like this from the beginning."

"That's what we don't understand!" Yosuke yelled at Teddie.

"I dunno," Teddie replied. "Can you guys explain everything about _your_ world? I've never seen this 'program' thingy before, so I don't know."

"Well…" Chie drawled. "Is that really what's happening? Are we really looking into this world? Because the first time Yukiko showed up on that channel was before she disappeared. Doesn't that seem off?"

"Wait, what?" Aika asked. "Really?"

"Oh…" Chie mumbled. "You didn't see it, huh?"

"So that girl on the Midnight Channel was…" Yosuke mused, before his eyes widened suddenly. "_That_ was Yukiko-san?"

"Not to mention, Yukiko saying stuff like 'score myself a hot stud'? That's not like her at all!"

"'Score'?" Teddie asked. "'Stud'?"

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either," Yosuke said. "Yukiko-san would never say anything like that."

"Wait a minute!" Aika interjected as an idea struck her. "What if… What if it's like what happened to you, Yosuke-kun?"

"There's a lot of things I don't get," Teddie said, "but I think that 'program' happens because of the person who appears on it. Or something like that… Maybe it _is_ like what happened to Yosuke."

"So… Yukiko's producing that show herself?" Chie asked, then groaned in frustration. "I don't get this at all!"

"So…" Aika said slowly. "Do you feel Yukiko-san's presence from inside?"

"I'm pretty sure," Teddie replied. "So um… what's this 'scoring with a hot stud' thing?"

"Yukiko's here!" Chie gasped. "I'm going on ahead!"

"Chie-san!" Aika shrieked, before groaning in frustration. "What _is_ it with you people?" She took off running after Chie.

"H-Hey!" Yosuke yelled after her. "Don't go alone! Be careful!"

"S-Sensei, wait!" Teddie yelled. "Th-They're here!"

"What's here?" Yosuke asked.

"The Shadows!" Teddie answered in a scared, high-pitched voice. Aika stopped dead in her tracks, frowning at him quizzically. But before she could get a single word out, Yosuke was yelling something at her and swinging one of his wrenches above her head.

A strange floating sphere faced her, with its abnormally long tongue whipping back and forth. "Get down!" Yosuke yelled, and then they both crashed to the ground, him on top of her with his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"A-All right, stay calm!" Teddie instructed. "I'll try sniffing out its weakness!"

Aika crawled out from under Yosuke and slammed the frying pan down on her Persona's card. "Aoandon!" she shrieked. Again, seemingly nonsensical words floated to her mind. "Hama!" The sphere was engulfed in a bright white light, but it continued forward. It whipped its tongue, hitting Aika and sending her falling backward.

"Aika!" Yosuke shouted. He practically growled in frustration and struck his own card with his wrench. "Persona!" Jiraiya rose above him, and the Shadow was struck with green-tinted wind.

"Nice one, Yosuke!" Teddie cheered.

Aika swung her frying pan at the Shadow, but it swerved out of the way. She struck her card once more and picked another word that floated to her mind. "Mudo!" Again, the Shadow was unaffected, and she suffered one more blow.

"Hang in there, Aika!" Yosuke called, striking the Shadow with a wrench, making it disappear in a puff of black smoke. Aika let him help her up, though she refused to look into his eyes. She was perfectly fine against his Shadow… what happened to make her so _useless_? "Are you okay?"

His large hands clasped her shoulders tightly, and he shook her slightly, though in his worry and her bout of relative uselessness, Aika could forgive him. "I'm okay," she answered quietly. "I-I'm sorry I couldn't do anything…"

"Damn it, this was probably a bad idea…" Yosuke muttered. "Maybe you should head back. I'll go find Chie on my own."

"No!" Aika squeaked. "I-I'll be fine. This – this won't happen again. R-Really."

But even though Yosuke agreed to let her come along, he still faced every Shadow on his own, vanquishing them before she could do anything. At long last, they reached a large set of doors. "Here you go, Sensei," Teddie said, handing her a tiny seed.

"What's this?" Aika asked, staring at it. Then, all of a sudden, every blow, every injury she'd received before seemed to vanish, and she dropped the seed promptly in surprise.

"I picked it myself!" Teddie said proudly. "It heals you!"

"Sweet!" Yosuke cheered. "Hey Ted, can I have one too?"

"Of course!" Teddie replied, handing Yosuke another seed. "Chie-chan's in there!" The bear pointed to the doors. "Be careful!"

Aika thrust the doors open, and, sure enough, Chie was standing in the middle of a bright red carpet. "Chie-san! Are you all right?"

"Chie?" Yosuke asked, approaching the motionless girl.

Suddenly, Yukiko's voice echoed through the room. "She said that red looks good on me…"

"Yukiko-san?" Yosuke called.

"I hated my name…" Yukiko's voice continued, but the tall girl was nowhere to be seen. "Yukiko… 'Snow'… Snow is cold and it melts quickly… It's transient… worthless… But it's perfect for me. Apart from inheriting the inn, I'm worthless… Still… Chie told me that red looks good on me."

"Are these… Yukiko-san's inner thoughts?" Yosuke wondered aloud. "I remember hearing Saki-senpai's too…"

"Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning," Yukiko's voice said, taking on a hard edge. "She's bright and strong, and she can do anything. She has everything that I don't… Compared to Chie, I'm… I'm…"

"Yukiko!" Chie shouted.

"Chie protects me," Yukiko said. "She looks after my worthless life. And I… I don't deserve any of it. Chie is so kind…"

"'Chie is so kind,' huh?" a distorted voice said mockingly. "What a joke!" Aika's stomach sank when she saw a figure that looked exactly like Chie, except shrouded in dark mist approach them.

"It's just like Yosuke!" Teddie said. "She lost control over her suppressed self! Now it's a Shadow!"

The Shadow laughed mercilessly. "Are we talking about _that_ Yukiko?" it asked. "She says I'm protecting her? She says she's worthless! That's how it should be, right?"

"Wh-What are you saying?" the real Chie stammered.

"Ch-Chie-san—" Aika called hesitantly.

"Yukiko's _so_ good looking," the Shadow continued. "_So_ fair-skinned… _so_ feminine… She's the one all the guys drool over. When Yukiko looked at me with such jealousy… Man, did I get a charge out of that! Yukiko knows the score. She can't do _anything_ if I'm not around. I'm better than her… Much, much better!"

"No!" the real Chie shrieked. "I've never thought that!"

Aika ran toward Chie. "Stop it!" she cried.

"No…" Chie whimpered. "Don't come near me! Don't look at me!"

"Aw, look at the cute little transfer student," the Shadow mocked, and a shiver ran down Aika's spine. "So shy. So quiet. So _submissive_. She's just another Yukiko, isn't she? Maybe she can join our little group! … where _I'm_ on top, of course!"

"Shut up!" Chie screamed at her Shadow.

"Chie, calm down!" Yosuke warned.

"No…" Chie said, a hint of desperation to her voice. "No! This isn't me!"

"W-Wait, stupid!" Yosuke yelled. "Don't say anything else like that!"

The Shadow laughed again. "That's right. I'm the one who can't do anything alone… I can't win as a girl, let alone as a person… I'm pathetic. But Yukiko… she depends on me… That's why she's my friend. I'll never loosen my grip on her. She's too important to me… and soon enough, Aika will be the same way!"

"No…" Chie said again. "That's not how I think of her! That's not how I think of either of them!"

The Shadow chuckled. "So you're just gonna turn your back and deny me again?" it asked. "But things are different now… When the time comes, I'll be the one left standing. You won't mind, right? I'm still you!"

"Shut up!" Chie cried. "You're…"

"Chie, no!" Yosuke yelled.

"You're not me!"

And then, it was just like what happened with Yosuke's Shadow. Dark swirls zoomed toward Chie's Shadow, and the next thing Aika knew, a large yellowish figure with a whip loomed before her, and the real Chie was lying on the ground. "I-It's coming!" Teddie said cautiously.

"Kneel before me!" the Shadow ordered, whipping the ground. "I am a Shadow… the true self… What do you think you're doing? Trying to defend the 'real' me? Then you're gonna pay the price!"

"Chie-san…" Aika whispered. "Hang in there!" She destroyed her card and used the spell that worked on Yosuke's Shadow. "Megido!"

The Shadow staggered back, and Yosuke let out a whoop of delight. "Hey, that actually worked! I mean… not that you haven't been useful… Wait, no, that's not it! I mean… Never mind. Forget I said anything." He struck his card with a wrench. "Garu!" he yelled, and wind whipped around Chie's Shadow. "C'mon, Aika! Let's go!" And with that, the two of them charged toward the Shadow, just hitting it, doing anything that would damage it at all.

"Looks like you won't understand without a little pain…" the Shadow drawled.

All Aika could feel was pain. She couldn't even register what had happened because she was so dizzy. All she could see was Yosuke standing back up and having Jiraiya attack the Shadow with another gust of wind. Before long, her head cleared, and Aika found herself standing up again. "Persona!" she screamed as she summoned Aoandon and had her cast the same spell again. But she knew she couldn't keep this up. She was beginning to feel more and more exhausted, and, with one more blow, she could swear she could see two of Chie's Shadow.

Teddie let out a whine. "Aika-chan's dizzy now!" She was too busy trying to plan her next attack to wonder when and why she had been demoted from "Sensei".

"Hang in there, Aika!" Yosuke called, swinging his wrenches wildly at the Shadow. Aika managed to cast one more Megido spell before she could finally be sure that she was out of energy. "Come on! Let's finish it!" Despite her exhaustion, she managed to drag her body forward and smacked the Shadow with the frying pan with everything she had. At long last it fell, and Aika and Yosuke simultaneously sank to their knees. "Please don't tell me mine was this hard to deal with."

"No…" Aika replied wearily. "This was way worse."

Yosuke grinned tiredly at her. "That's good to hear."

"Chie-chan!" Teddie yelled. Chie groaned as she stood up.

"Chie, are you okay?" Yosuke asked, standing up and running over.

"What happened…?" Chie asked dazedly. Her Shadow, which was back to its original form, simply stared blankly at her. "What's the matter? Got nothing to say anymore?"

"Stop it, Chie," Yosuke said in a calm voice. Aika shakily stood up and stood a little ways behind him. "It's all right."

"But…" Chie protested weakly.

"We understand," Aika said quietly.

"She's right," Yosuke agreed. "I went through the same thing. So I can understand… I mean… Everyone has a side like this… What was it you told me, Aika? That it's a part of you, but it's not all that you are."

Chie turned around to face her Shadow and put her hands on her hips. "Yeah… I kinda get it now. You _are_ me… A side of me I couldn't forgive… that I tried to ignore… But you still exist. You're a part of me." The Shadow nodded once and disappeared into blue light. A figure dressed in yellow, carrying what appeared to be a naginata, hovered in the air in front of Chie, before shrinking into a card. The card fell slowly, and Chie's body was bathed in a blue light.

"Chie-san…" Aika said quietly, making her way over to the girl she now considered her friend.

"Um…" Chie mumbled. "It's true that a part of me feels that way… but I wasn't lying about being friends with Yukiko!"

"Like we didn't know that already," Yosuke said good-naturedly, smiling. And then, suddenly, Chie collapsed to her knees. "Hey! Chie!"

"I'm okay," Chie replied. "Just a little tired…"

"You don't look okay at all," Yosuke pointed out. "And I bet you can use the same power we have now."

"Okay, then let's go!" Chie said, but her eyes refused to focus and she teetered back and forth.

Teddie ran in front of her, blocking her path. "Don't overdo it," he warned.

"Y-You need to get your strength back," Aika advised, crouching down next to Chie. "We'll definitely be able to save Yukiko-san, now that you can fight too, but…"

"But I have to tell Yukiko something!" Chie protested. "I'm not as strong as she thinks! It's because she was with me… Because we were always together, I was able to act that way. If we weren't, I'd…"

"Well you need to get your strength back," Teddie said, smiling at her. "Then you can tell her! Yuki-chan's normal. The Shadows don't attack normal people."

"Until the fog lifts, right?" Aika asked. "So she'll be safe until then, right?"

"I'm positive," Teddie answered.

"Why…?" Chie asked tiredly. "I don't get it…"

"We'll explain later," Yosuke said. "Anyway, the fog usually appears after it rains. But it's been sunny lately. I don't think it's going to rain anytime soon."

"So we'll have a few days, at least," Aika finished, smiling at Chie. "We can come back tomorrow, if you're up to it."

"But Yukiko's all alone!" Chie protested. "She's probably really scared!"

"Don't you get it?" Yosuke snapped at her. "How much farther until we reach her, huh? It could be even more dangerous up ahead. If we get wiped out, who'll save Yukiko-san then? We _can't_ fail, no matter what."

"We'll come back tomorrow, first thing after school," Aika assured Chie.

Chie sighed. "All right," she said finally. Aika helped her up and allowed Chie to lean on her as they started walking back. "Hey, um… I'm sorry about before. I shouldn't have rushed in like that by myself…"

"I-It's okay," Aika replied. "Yosuke-kun did the same thing before. But… until we know this place inside and out, let's just stick together, okay?"

"Okay," Chie said confidently.

But during the walk back, Chie began leaning more and more heavily on Aika. "Are you okay?" Aika asked as soon as they were back in the studio-like place.

"I'm feeling even worse than the last time we came in here…" Chie groaned. "My head feels like it's gonna split open… Are you guys okay?"

"That's right!" Aika gasped, mentally kicking herself for not noticing before. "You don't have the glasses!"

"Oh yeah…" Chie mumbled. "What's with those anyway? Did your eyesight go bad?"

"Man, you didn't notice until now?" Yosuke asked incredulously. "How panicked were you?"

Teddie hummed a fanfare and pulled out a pair of yellow-rimmed glasses. "I got a pair ready for Chie-chan too!"

Chie put them on almost immediately and glanced around. "Whoa…" she gasped. "What the… This is awesome! It's like the fog doesn't even exist!"

"Why didn't you whip those out earlier if you had them?" Yosuke demanded.

"I made them right now!" Teddie explained, glaring at Yosuke. "You didn't tell me she was coming! It was all so sadden! I mean, sudden!"

"Huh…" Chie said. "So that's the trick. I was wondering how you guys could see where you were going. Hey, is it all right if I keep these?"

"Fo' sho!" Teddie replied.

"Okay, so let's promise each other," Yosuke said. "Nobody goes in alone, all right? It's way too dangerous."

"That's what I've been trying to say since the beginning," Aika deadpanned.

"I agree," Chie agreed. "We'll come back together and save Yukiko!"

"Okay, so we're all agreed," Yosuke said. "But… uh… Who's gonna call the shots?"

"Aika should do it," Chie said.

"M-Me?" Aika squeaked. "Wh-Why me?"

"Well, you _did_ get this power first," Yosuke pointed out, "and you tend to pick up things faster. You definitely caught onto the whole TV world thing faster than I did."

"I _still_ don't get what's going on," Chie said blandly.

"B-But I'm useless in fights…" Aika protested weakly.

"That's okay," Yosuke said. "You just set the pace of our investigation. Like decide when we go in, when we come out…"

"I'd feel a lot more comfortable if you're the one calling the shots," Chie said helpfully. "So, think you can do it?"

"I… guess?" Aika said slowly. "B-But I…"

"Look, I understand that you don't think you'll make a good leader," Yosuke said sincerely. "But we really _need_ one. If things go bad, then this whole thing will fall apart if we're all squabbling over who's in charge. Hopefully, it won't come to that, but we need to get this whole leadership thing straight just in case it does. And honestly…" A genuine smile spread across his face. "You'd be a way better leader than me."

Aika flushed a furious shade of red and averted her eyes downward, putting her hands behind her back. "I agree with Yosuke too!" Teddie said cheerfully. "You'll be great, Aika-chan!"

"What happened to 'Sensei'?" Yosuke deadpanned.

"It sounds kind of weird for Aika-chan," Teddie answered. "Now that I think about it… 'Sensei' sounds like a scary old man that hits people with his walking stick!"

"Teddie, would you please stop talking?" Chie groaned, "I'm really on edge right now…" Teddie seemed to wilt as his face fell, but Aika couldn't stop thinking about how she was just unanimously appointed for the leader… probably because she wouldn't fail as badly as the others thought they would. And then, all of a sudden, the voice in her head struck again.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Fool Arcanum…_

Aika gasped, and Yosuke, Chie, and Teddie looked in her direction. "Something wrong?" Yosuke asked.

_Why did another Social Link form just now? I already have one with Yosuke and Chie, and it doesn't feel like it formed for Teddie… _"Nothing," Aika answered finally, exhaling slowly.

"Okay," Yosuke sighed. "Let's get some rest today so we'll be ready to move on tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah," Chie mumbled. "Let's just go home already."

Aika couldn't agree more.

* * *

It happened while Aika was walking home from Junes. She couldn't stop thinking about her trek into the TV world and how _useless_ she'd been against all the Shadows she'd faced, including Chie's, not to mention that everyone had appointed her as the unofficial leader _despite_ her… lack of skill. She wandered into the shopping district when a bright blue door appeared before her. The Velvet Key, which she'd placed into her backpack without a second thought that morning, was shining, and she could hear Igor's voice in her head.

_So you finally require our assistance. Now, if you will give me a moment of your time… _

She didn't so much open the door to the Velvet Room as get pulled in, as if something was drawing her to it. Igor grinned at her cryptically, as usual. "We've been expecting you," he said. "The catastrophe that is headed your way… It has already taken human lives in its approach towards you… But you have nothing to fear, for you have the power to fight it. It seems the time for you to use your… unique ability has finally come." He chuckled, and a shiver ran down Aika's spine.

"Your ability is that of the Wild Card," Margaret elaborated. "When you strengthen your bonds properly, their power will help you overcome any ordeal." She smiled gently. "As you so eloquently put it at our last meeting, you will be weaponizing your relationships, though I cannot see what is so despicable about that."

"It just…" Aika said slowly. "It just feels _wrong_. It's like… am I making new friends and forging new relationships to strengthen my Personas, or is it the other way around?"

"Destiny calls for you to use this ability regardless," Igor said simply. "My role is to give birth to new Personas. By mixing together multiple Persona cards, I can transmute them into a new form. This, in other words, is the fusion of Personas. You have the power to hold multiple Personas and to use them accordingly."

"Multiple Personas?" Aika repeated, her eyes widening. "You mean other than Aoandon?"

"Yes, my dear," Igor said, nodding. "If you have been developing your Social Links, then your Persona will gain even more power. They will be one of your chief sources of strength… You would do well to take this to heart."Aika sighed, recalling the four Social Links that had formed over the past two days – Chariot, Magician, Fool, and Hierophant.

Margaret held up a black book. "The tome you see in my hand is the Persona Compendium," she explained. "Registering the Personas you hold will allow you to recall them at any time. Please see me when you wish to use it." Aika exhaled sharply.

Igor chuckled again, and his grin widened. "Do you remember what I first told you? 'The coming year is a turning point in your destiny… If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost.' I meant precisely this. Defeat in battle is not the only way your journey may come to an end. Please do not forget this."

Something heavy settled in Aika's gut, and she clasped her hands together tightly. "You appear… troubled," Margaret observed.

"I am…" Aika said quietly.

Margaret gave her a warm smile, which lifted a weight ever so slightly from Aika's shoulders. "I will personally assist you to the best of your abilities," she said sincerely. "Oh, there is one more thing I should mention: before, we mentioned that your primary affinity is to the Hermit Arcanum. This means that fusing and utilizing Personas of the Hermit Arcanum will come very easily to you, and your strongest Personas may be of this Arcanum. However, there are other Arcana for which you may have an affinity, though not necessarily as strong. Would you like a new Persona now?"

Aika sighed and nodded. "I guess…" she said. "Aoandon… I can't do much with her… and the one thing I _can_ do with her just takes up so much energy.

Margaret smiled and opened the Persona Compendium, flipping through the pages almost listlessly. "Let me see…" she mused. "I _do_ have some old Persona cards that may strike your fancy." She flipped through a few more pages. "Ah! What about this one?" A shimmering blue card rose from the book, and above it, what appeared to be a hologram of a lanky green figure with red spirals where its eyes and mouth should have been appeared. "The tree spirit, Kodama, of the Hierophant Arcanum. Offenses and defenses balance out, yet the chance of landing a successful hit with this one are… less slim than they are with your own Persona."

The image disappeared into the card, and Margaret, held out her palm, the card floating and shimmering above it. Aika swallowed hard; Kodama was of the Hierophant Arcanum – Uncle's Social Link. She was going to use her relationship with her uncle to become stronger, and he would have no idea. It felt so wrong, but nothing could be worse than being completely useless in a fight. And so, Aika swallowed her pride and guilt and nodded, and the card disappeared. The Persona appeared before her – not as a hazy, translucent figure, but as a physical being. _I am Kodama_, a deep, yet gentle voice echoed in her mind. _I am the echo you hear when a tree falls in the forest. I am the voice you hear the minute before your death. I am thou…_

A warm feeling bloomed inside her chest, and then the voice was gone. Margaret smiled warmly at her. "There is no need to look so troubled," she said. "You have simply accepted another side to yourself. A wise man once told to me: 'People live by wearing different masks. Your current self may be only one of those innumerable masks.' Persona is the ability to summon one of these many masks within you – the gods and demons you harbor. While your companions have only weaponized one such mask, you have the potential to use them all."

"But doesn't that make me…" Aika began, but then trailed off. Did the ability to use multiple Personae mean that she was completely honest with herself, but dishonest to the world? Did she simply put on a new mask for every person she interacted with?

"Every other human is the same way," Margaret said gently, "and they lie if they deny it. For you to use only one mask for every interaction would be to transcend the nature of humanity itself. There is no need to have such high expectations for yourself."

Aika forced a smile. "Thanks, Margaret."

"Of course," Margaret replied, nodding. And with that, the voice struck again.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Empress Arcanum…_

"Another Social Link has just formed," Margaret guessed correctly, her smile widening. "And it is with me… how interesting…"

"I-I should probably get going," Aika said shakily. "U-Um… thanks again…"

* * *

Aika felt guilty, and for once, it had nothing to do with Social Links. She'd be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy dinners when Uncle came home more than those where it was just Nanako and her. She found it easier to talk to her Uncle, and whenever he was around, the Auntie-shaped hole in the Dojima household seemed to disappear. "So, it looks like you've finally settled in," Uncle said in between mouthfuls of curry.

"I still haven't finished unpacking," Aika replied.

He waved his chopsticks dismissively. "That's okay. You've got all year to unpack."

Aika giggled. "And _re_pack at the end of the year," she pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah," Uncle muttered. "Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't been around much to ease the transition. Not to mention, you had to get all caught up in this whole murder case."

Aika froze. Did he know just how involved she was? Did he notice that she took the frying pan with her that morning? No, that wasn't possible; she left _after_ he did… but Nanako _must_ have noticed. Did she tell him? "I came at a really bad time, didn't I?" she asked finally.

"Yeah…" Uncle replied wearily.

"And now, our weather forecast," the announcer on TV said. "Due to high pressure fronts from the west, that sunny spring-like weather will stay with us for a while longer." Aika sighed in relief.

"Is this lady the one who decides the weather?" Nanako asked. "'Cause when she says it'll be sunny, it always is."

"Uh…" Uncle said nervously. "She's not really deciding it…" He paused for a few seconds before sighing. "Never mind…"

Aika couldn't be more relieved that her head was voiceless for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Hey, Aika!" By the Samegawa Flood Plain, Yosuke ran up to her, waving his arm above his head and grinning. "So, are we heading back in today?"

"I thought we already agreed that we are," Aika replied flatly.

"Hey, you're not mad, are you?" Yosuke asked, his tone still light. "I mean, we kind of sprung that whole 'leader' thing on you pretty suddenly yesterday."

Aika exhaled slowly. "It's not _really_ that big of a deal, right?" she asked.

"Not really…" Yosuke agreed. "But still. I'll try to make this as painless as possible. I can't speak for Chie, but _I_ won't saddle you with all the work."

Aika couldn't help but smile at that. "Thanks, Yosuke-kun.

"Anytime," Yosuke replied.

"Hey, wait up!" Aika stopped dead in her tracks and looked behind her, only to see Chie running to catch up. "You guys are _not_ gonna believe this."

"Chie-san, are you okay?" Aika asked quickly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Chie replied dismissively. "Anyway! So I overheard my mom talking to my uncle last night, and… and he actually sells weapons! Like, no joke!"

"Seriously?" Yosuke asked. "Geez, you couldn't have figured this out before?"

"I hardly ever see my uncle!" Chie yelled at him. "No one really talks about him anyway. He's kind of the family oddball… So anyway, I was thinking we should check out his workshop after school before heading over to Junes."

"That sounds like a good idea," Yosuke agreed.

"But we can't just walk into Junes carrying a bunch of weapons," Aika pointed out. "And we'll be walking in and out a lot, depending on how long solving this case takes, a-and security's probably really tight right now because of all the murders, so…"

"So…" Yosuke drawled. "Oh, I know! Why don't we just leave all our weapons and armor and stuff _inside_ the TV? It's not like we're gonna need 'em _outside_."

"Good idea," Chie agreed. "And we can just hide them in our bags and stuff until we get inside the TV."

"Right," Yosuke said. "No unnecessary detours once we actually _buy_ new equipment. We just head straight in, dump our stuff there, and come out."

"Um…" Aika piped up once the school gates came into view. "We should probably stop talking about this stuff. There are a lot of people."

* * *

The school day passed by in a blur, and Aika couldn't focus at all because her mind kept wandering over everything Persona- and TV world-related. When Yosuke and Chie walked over to her desk after the last class had ended, she couldn't keep it in anymore. "There's something I have to tell you," she said quickly, and, all too quickly, her resolve began to fade, and she was reduced to a stuttering mess. "I can… I-I can summon – I can summon m-more than – than one Persona." Her face felt hot, and both Yosuke and Chie were staring intently at her with unreadable expressions.

It was Yosuke who reacted first. "Oh, really? That's kind of cool. How does it work?"

"Um…" _I get close to random people – and you're one of these random people, by the way – which allows me to create and use new Personas. _"I-I don't really know…"

"That _is_ kind of weird," Chie said, and Aika felt strangely thankful for her reaction. "Then again, we're hopping into TVs and secret sides to ourselves are trying to kill us. It doesn't get much weirder than that."

"So… you don't mind?"

"Of course not!" Chie said, smiling. "Hey, summoning lots of different Personas could really help us out. Anyway, why are we still here? Let's _go_ already!"

Chie's uncle was a rather scary-looking old man with short auburn hair with sideburns that connected to his mustache. "H-Hey there, Uncle," Chie greeted nervously, waving at him.

The man looked to Aika and Yosuke, his eyes narrowing at Yosuke. "Where's Red?" he asked in a deep, gruff voice.

"O-Oh, you mean Yukiko?" Chie asked. "She's kind of… busy… A-Anyway, as much as I _love_ visiting you…" The old man's eyes narrowed at that. "… I was wondering if… if maybewecouldgetsomeweapons."

"Your mother would shoot me," her uncle said flatly. "Whaddya need 'em for anyway?"

"We're… uh…" But Chie just looked down, trailing off, perfectly impersonating Aika.

"We're roleplaying!" Yosuke came to her defense quickly. "There's… uh… There's this American movie with elves and dwarves and stuff, and we – we're just trying to…"

But the old man didn't look convinced at all. "Whatever," he said. "Just find something you like, buy it, and leave."

"Wait, buy it?" Chie interjected. "But you're my uncle! Can't you just—"

"Give it to you for free?" the man finished. "Well, yeah. That's what I'm doing. _You're_ just paying me to keep quiet about all this."

Chie's shoulders sagged forward. "Oh…"

"W-Well…" Aika piped up. "Um… Th-Thank you… uh…"

The man rolled his eyes. "Daidara," he supplied helpfully.

Aika bowed her head forward. "Th-Thank you, Daidara-san."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Dojima or Nakamura?" he asked.

"Huh?" Aika replied. "U-Um… N-Nakamura."

Daidara simply shrugged at that. "You look more Dojima than Nakamura. But you act more Nakamura than Dojima."

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled. "Thank you?"

Daidara stared blankly at Chie. "Don't tell your dad you're hanging out with this one." He jabbed a thumb in Aika's direction. "Her mom's a scary bitch warrior."

"Y-You know my mom?" Aika asked.

"_Everyone_ knows your mom," Daidara deadpanned.

"Okay, here we go," Yosuke said, effectively cutting off the conversation as he dumped a set of two short swords onto the countertop. "This one's for me."

Chie placed a pair of dangerous-looking boots on the countertop as well. "I'll take these."

But Aika couldn't decide what she wanted. Almost everything was too big for her, and she most likely wouldn't be able to use the ones she could probably handle properly. "Hey, how about this?" Yosuke suggested, holding up a rod-like object with a head that looked a bit like antlers. "It's… uh… I don't really know what it is exactly."

"It's a rod," Daidara said in a dull tone. "You hit things with it."

"I-I'll take it," Aika said shakily.

"That'll be twenty-four thousand yen," Daidara said.

"What?" Chie screeched. "Come on, can't we get a little discount or something?"

"You're paying me to keep quiet about all this," Daidara said again, "not for the actual weapons. You know, I'm coming over for dinner in a couple days, and I've got some _great_ topics for discussion at the dinner table."

"Fine, fine," Yosuke said, slapping a wad of bills down on the countertop. Once he received his change, the three left, with Chie sticking her tongue out at her uncle before disappearing from the shop.

"Let's go," Aika said quickly. "The sooner we get to Junes, the better."

"He's gonna ask us to pay him every time we shop there, isn't he?" Yosuke asked.

"I'm sorry about this…" Chie mumbled.

"No, it's okay," Yosuke said, "but we should probably come up with a way to pay for all of this, so we don't have to pay out of our own pockets."

"But doesn't that make the most sense?" Aika asked.

"Not really," Yosuke replied. "It's not like we'll _all_ need upgrades all the time. You'll be fighting mainly with your Personas, right? So we won't have to go weapon-shopping for you as often as we would for, say, Chie."

"What're you trying to say?" Chie asked, a hard edge to her voice.

"I'm thinking we should put some money aside just for upgrading our equipment," Yosuke suggested. "You know – pool our money together, since we're all fighting for the same cause and all that. But…" He groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Damn it, I'm the only one with a job!"

"I get an allowance," Chie said helpfully.

"I have some money saved up," Aika added. "My parents gave me some money every month, but since I'm not really living with them this year, I'm not sure how the whole money situation's going to work out."

"Okay, so how about this?" Yosuke asked, his eyes taking on an excited gleam. "We'll set some money aside every time we get some more for equipment and stuff."

"It should be proportional to how much we get," Aika suggested. "Since we might be getting different amounts."

"Yeah, of course," Chie agreed. "I'm pretty sure you make more than us, Yosuke."

"I don't get an allowance though," Yosuke said. "My paycheck _is_ my allowance. So it's probably around the same as you guys." By now they were at Junes, and they hurried into the electronics department as quickly as possible. "We'll talk about this more later. Let's just hurry and save Yukiko-san."

* * *

"Megido!" Aika cried, realizing too late that it was Kodama she had out instead of Aoandon. The tree spirit simply floated there aimlessly, doing nothing. "I mean…"

"Persona!" Yosuke yelled, and a gust of wind vanquished the Shadow she was trying to attack before.

Aika sighed, almost dropping her weapon. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't worry," Yosuke assured her, removing his headphones from his ears putting his hand on her shoulder. "You just… You just need to get a good rhythm going. Once you do, you'll be unstoppable."

"Yeah, don't worry, Aika," Chie said, running up to her. "I mean, it's not like we're experts at this either. We're _all_ new to this. And… so it's a little harder for you to get used to the whole fighting thing. It's not the end of the world."

"But we've been in here for hours, and we _still_ haven't found Yukiko-san!" Aika protested before sighing. "I'm slowing everyone down…"

"Okay, so maybe we should come in here to train more after we save Yukiko-san," Yosuke suggested. "All it comes down to is practice, right? Like I said – once you get a good rhythm going, you'll be fine."

"And we can still go for a little longer!" Chie said emphatically.

Aika sighed again. "Okay…"

"Here you guys go!" Teddie said, handing each of them a series of seeds and beads, and Aika could feel her energy being replenished. They stood before a large set of doors much like the ones before the place where they fought Chie's Shadow. Throughout their trek through the strange palace, Aika had found strange cards much like her own after defeating some Shadows, and, all too quickly, more and more Personae wormed their way into her arsenal. Still, she refused to use anything but Kodama and Aoandon, since she had no idea what any of her new Personae's capabilities were. "She's right behind this door!" Teddie announced. "I can smell her!"

"Yukiko!" Chie cried, shoving the doors open and running inside. Sure enough, two Yukikos were there – the one in the frilly pink dress from the Midnight Channel – only this time, her eyes were glowing bright yellow– and the other, more normal-looking Yukiko, half-conscious and collapsed on the floor.

"Oh?" the yellow-eyed Yukiko said. She stood at what appeared to be a throne, at the top of a flight of red-carpeted stairs. "What's this? Another little princess has come to see me."

"Huh?" Chie asked. "You mean me?"

"I seriously doubt that," Yosuke deadpanned.

Yukiko's Shadow descended the stairs slowly and gracefully, giggling, and stopped before Aika, clasping the shorter girl's hands. "Oh, how I wish I could be like you. A _traveling_ princess. You've been _everywhere_, haven't you Aika?"

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled, her heart racing. She wanted to step back, to maybe hide behind Yosuke, but the Shadow was clutching her hands too tightly for her to move.

"You stay away from her!" Yosuke yelled, pointing one of his swords at the Shadow's neck.

"Y-Yosuke!" Chie yelled.

"Aw, how _sweet_!" the Shadow gushed, chuckling. "Your own special _prince_ coming to save you… just like he did the other day at school."

"Wait, _prince_?" Yosuke asked incredulously. "Are you talking about me?"

"Duh!" Teddie said. "She's obviously talking about _me_."

"You don't even _go_ to our school!" Chie pointed out.

"You're so _lucky_, Aika," the Shadow drawled, slowly releasing her wrists. "A nice boy bending over backwards to help you, doing _everything_ for you… and you didn't even have to lift a _finger_." And then, suddenly, the Shadow's expression contorted into a vicious scowl, and it put both hands on Aika's shoulders and shoved her to the ground. "Where's _my_ prince, huh? Who's going to come save_ me_?"

"Wh-What…?" Aika whispered.

"What have _you_ ever done to deserve someone like that?" the Shadow demanded, stepping dangerously and threateningly towards her. "You don't even _need_ a prince!" The Shadow's expression softened, and a shiver ran down Aika's spine. "And yet you get one anyway, a prince who's just _perfect_ for you…" The Shadow sneered. "… and all _I_ get is _Chie_."

"Y-Yukiko…" Chie mumbled.

"Chie can't take me away from here!" the Shadow ranted. "She can't save me! And it's not like _your_ prince can either!"

The real Yukiko struggled to stand up, but she glared at the Shadow with all the strength she could muster. "S-Stop it…"

"Historic inn?" the Shadow said scornfully. "Manager training? I'm sick of all these things chaining me down! I never asked to be born here! Everything's decided for me! From how I live, to where I die! I'm so sick of it! To hell with it all!"

"That's not true…" the real Yukiko protested weakly.

"I just want to go somewhere far away," the Shadow continued. "Anywhere but here… Someone, please take me away! I can't leave here on my own! I'm completely _useless_…"

"Stop…" Yukiko mumbled. "Please stop…"

"I have no hope if I stay," the Shadow sneered, "and no courage to leave… So I sit on my _ass_ hoping that someday my prince will come! I don't care where we go! Anywhere's fine! As long as it's not here, I don't give a damn! Historical tradition? Pride of the town? What a load of _bullshit_!"

"How dare you…?" Yukiko said weakly.

"That's how I really feel," the Shadow said with finality. "Isn't that right… me?"

"N-No!" Yukiko said angrily.

"Stop!" Yosuke yelled. "Don't say it!"

"Yukiko-san!" Aika cried.

"No!" Yukiko yelled. "You're not me!"

Aika was so not getting used to this. She really wasn't. But she honestly couldn't say she was surprised when Shadows swarmed to Yukiko's Shadow, which was now laughing maniacally. "Ah, this feels _wonderful_! It's building… more and more… If this keeps up, I'll… I'll…"

"Ew…" Yosuke groaned. "That sounds so _wrong_…"

Yukiko's Shadow was back to laughing, and, in no time at all, it transformed into a magnificent red bird connected to an open cage. "So…" Aika said slowly. "The forms your Shadows take when they go crazy are supposed to be symbolic, huh?"

"No they're not!" Chie denied quickly. "That would make me…" She covered her face with both her hands and screamed. "Ew, that's so gross!"

"Guys!" Teddie yelled. "We have to stop it! That girl's in danger!

"All right," Chie said. "Hang in there, Yukiko! We'll save you!"

"I am a Shadow," the giant bird said in a distorted version of Yukiko's voice. "The true self… Well, it appears my _real_ prince is in another castle. How disappointing."

"Hang in there, Yukiko!" Chie yelled. "I'm right here for you!"

"I thought I already made it clear that _you don't count_, Chie," the Shadow taunted. "But if you really want to save me so badly, I'll make sure to give you _plenty_ to deal with!"

Hurt crossed Chie's face, and Yosuke glowered at the Shadow. "That's enough out of you!" he yelled, slamming one of his swords down on his card. "Persona!" Jiraiya swung its limbs at the Shadow, making the bird fall from the cage. "Come on, let's go!" And with that, Aika and Chie followed him, just attacking the Shadow with everything they had.

The Shadow chuckled and then, all of a sudden, flames engulfed the room. The smoke made Aika's throat burn and her eyes water, and she couldn't feel Yosuke or Chie anywhere near her. "It's all right, Aika-chan!" Teddie said from behind her, and she couldn't help but sigh in relief that she wasn't alone. "I'm still here with you!"

"Thanks, Teddie," Aika said, but the smoke made her cough. "Y-Yosuke-kun! Chie-san!" she yelled, only to burst into another coughing fit soon afterwards. "Are you okay?"

"Chie!" Aika heard the real Yukiko shriek from somewhere on her right. Something in Aika's heart seized at that – was Chie in trouble?

"How disappointing," the Shadow said again. "I really thought you'd be the one to save me, Chie, but I guess I was wrong…"

Aika squinted through the searing heat. The Shadow was only a little ways in front of her. She waved her arm once, closing her eyes. "Aoandon…" she whispered as she changed Personae. Then, she stepped forward. "That's not true!" she yelled at the Shadow. "Go, Aoandon!" _Megido, Megido, Megido, Megido, Megido!_

The Shadow shrieked in pain, flinching, and Aika smirked in triumph. But her victory was short-lived, as the Shadow quickly recovered. "You little _bitch_," the Shadow seethed. "That actually _hurt_! You're going to pay for that one!"

"Aika!" she heard Yosuke yell from somewhere on her left.

One long talon struck her across the stomach, sending her crashing into Teddie. Her vision darkened around the edges, and her head was swimming. "Aika-chan!" Teddie cried.

"Yukiko!" Chie yelled suddenly.

"No…" the real Yukiko whimpered. "Chie, run… please…"

"I won't run," Chie said in a firm voice. "There's something I need to tell you, Yukiko. I… I've always been jealous of you. You have _everything_… so I was really happy that you needed my help. I liked thinking… that you needed me to protect you. But… your Shadow's _wrong_, Yukiko. You _can_ do things on your own. You're one of the strongest people I know. You wanna be free? Then smash that stupid cage with your own hands and fly wherever you want! You don't _need_ someone to come save you!"

"You're wrong," the real Yukiko replied, and her voice was wavering so much that Aika was sure she was crying. "I… I'm not strong at all! I'm not…"

"So what?" Chie retorted. "It's not like I'm the person you thought I was, either. There's good and bad in _all_ of us… I don't care how hard you try convincing me that you're the worst person in the world, because _I know_ you're not. You're my best friend, Yukiko, and I'm not leaving you!"

"No!" the Shadow screamed.

"Persona!" Yosuke yelled, and, all too quickly, the Shadow went down, the flames scattered throughout the room disappearing one by one. Aika leaned on Teddie as she struggled to stand up, the spot where the Shadow had hit her still searing with pain. Yosuke ran over to her immediately, and, suddenly, she was in his arms and her face was being pressed into his shirt. "What the hell were you thinking?" he yelled. "You could've gotten yourself killed! Don't _ever_ piss off Shadows like that again!"

"I'm sorry…" Aika whispered.

He released her, only to clasp her tightly by the shoulders. "We're gonna come back in here _every day_ if that's what it takes to get you used to fighting," he said determinedly. "This is _so_ not happening with the next one!" And despite the seriousness of the situation, Aika couldn't help but laugh. She couldn't remember the last time anyone outside her family had ever expressed such concern for her. "Chie, you too!"

But Chie didn't pay any attention to him – she was crouched by the real Yukiko, hugging her tightly. With Chie's help, Yukiko managed to stand up, and she stared at her Shadow with a blank expression. "No," she said quietly. "I'm not…"

"It's okay, Yukiko-san," Aika assured her.

"I'm so sorry!" Chie cried. "I was so self-centered that… I never understood what you were going through… I'm your friend, and still…"

"Chie…" Yukiko said slowly. "Thank you. And… I'm sorry, too. I never saw the real you either. I was too busy trying to find an easy way out." Yukiko broke away from Chie and staggered over to her Shadow. "'I want to run away'… 'I want someone to save me'… You're right; those feelings are a part of me too… but they don't always have to be." She stared at her Shadow with a serious expression. "You're me, and I'm you… for now, anyway. I can still change. If I want to be free, I'll have to do it myself, instead of waiting for someone to come rescue me." The Shadow nodded once and disappeared into blue light. A Persona appeared above her, and her body glowed with blue light. "Thank you…" Yukiko whispered. "… Konohana Sakuya." And with that, she collapsed to her knees.

"Yukiko-san!" Aika called out in alarm as they all ran up to her.

"Are you okay?" Yosuke asked.

"I'm fine," Yukiko replied shakily. "I'm just a little tired… So… you all came to rescue me?"

"Of course!" Chie replied.

"Thank you," Yukiko said sincerely.

"Don't even mention it," Chie retorted, rubbing her eyes with her sleeves. "I'm just so glad you're safe…"

"Y-Yeah…" Aika agreed.

"So…" Teddie interjected, waddling to the front. "Who threw you in here?"

"Huh?" Yukiko asked. "Who are you? Rather… _What_ are you?"

"I'm Teddie!" the bear introduced himself. "So, who threw you in?"

Yukiko's face fell. "I don't know…" she answered. "I think… someone called my name… But my memory's a blur. I can't remember who it was… I'm sorry, um… Teddie."

Teddie sighed. "No new clues…" he said glumly.

"Not necessarily," Yosuke retorted. "Now we know for sure that someone threw Yukiko-san in here."

"But that means someone really _is_ trying to kill people…" Aika mumbled.

"Come on, guys," Chie said. "Let's hurry back home. We're all exhausted – especially Yukiko. Thanks again, Teddie."

"Wait, you're leaving me here?" Teddie cried incredulously.

"What are you talking about?" Yosuke asked. "You live here."

"Well, yeah, but…" Teddie mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Teddie," Yukiko apologized. "I promise to come again. So be a good boy and wait here until then."

Teddie's face turned as red as the fur on his body, and Aika couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

"Yukiko, are you all right?" Chie asked concernedly outside Junes. Aika's school bag felt heavy on her shoulder, and each step she took seemed to sap more and more of her energy. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

"No, I'm just a little tired," Yukiko replied.

"We'll walk you back home anyway," Yosuke said. "After that… Who lives closest to the inn?"

"Is the shopping district close to the inn?" Aika asked. "I live near there."

"Not exactly…" Chie replied.

"I'm sorry…" Yukiko apologized. "I really don't remember anything that happened."

"Well no worries," Chie replied. "You're safe, and that's all that matters for now."

"But there's no mistake that Yukiko-san was… attacked… the same way as the last two victims," Yosuke pointed out.

"A-And the one we saw on the Midnight Channel was _definitely_ her Shadow," Aika added. "So… maybe the things she was suppressing in this world took form inside the TV?"

Yosuke groaned. "It's no use," he grumbled. "We just keep going round and round in circles…"

"Let's go over it some other time," Chie suggested. "I think we're all a little too beat to think straight right now."

By that point, they'd reached the Amagi Inn. "Thanks again," Yukiko said. "Um… see you all later." With one last wave, she disappeared into the inn.

* * *

Aika woke up to Nanako's cheerful exclamation of "He's home!" She couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep in the first place, or why she never bothered unrolling her futon and just going to bed early. She rubbed her eyes, which did nothing to wake her up further. Fortunately, she managed to look awake enough by the time Uncle finally walked in… with the detective who arrested her just a few days ago. "Um…" Nanako mumbled. "Hello…"

"Hi there," the detective replied with a smile, and Aika only felt slightly guilty that she couldn't remember his name.

"We got off work at the same time, so I'm giving him a ride back to his place," Uncle explained. "I thought we might as well swing by."

"Nice to meet ya," the detective said. "I'm Adachi, your dad's slave since spring." He waved awkwardly at Aika. "Hey, Aika-chan."

"Don't push it," Uncle warned. "You're still not off the hook for that little stunt you pulled last week."

"Hey, I'm really sorry about what happened, Aika-chan," Adachi said. "You looked a little suspicious, and I jumped to conclusions, and… well, you know the rest."

"What happened?" Nanako asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I'll tell you later," Aika whispered.

"I'm hungry," Nanako complained.

"Yeah, my stomach's growling too," Uncle agreed.

"S-Sorry!" Aika squeaked, standing up hastily. "I-I'll get started on dinner right now."

"Nah, you stay put," Uncle said. "I'll take care of it."

Adachi chuckled. "Well what do you know?" he asked. "You _do_ have a softer side around your girls, don't you Sir?"

Uncle frowned sternly at Adachi. "Shut up and siddown," he ordered. "And wash your hands first! … Hm, I should do the same…"

Aika giggled as she sat down, any remaining traces of sleepiness slowly fading. As it turned out, a lively dinner could be fun.

* * *

_And now we've reached the end of the Yukiko arc. And we're only three chapters in. YIKES. So the Persona 1 reference was Margaret's quote by "a wise man" (more commonly known as Philemon, the dweller between consciousness and unconsciousness). So here's what I was going for in this chapter (and in this story in general), so tell me how much I succeeded (and/or failed):_

_So Aika sucks at being a Persona game protagonist. She's not super badass, and she kind of sucks at fighting. Her physical stats (attack _and_ defense) are absolutely atrocious, and she gets knocked around a lot. Literally the only thing she has to compensate for this is the Wild Card, which she hates using, since she's kind of morally against weaponizing her relationships. That, and a ridiculous amount of SP (compared to the others, at least) that just gets poured into magic attacks, because that's pretty much all she can do. But she's kind of clumsy, so it's hard for her to switch Personae in time to attack a Shadow that's coming for her… or something like that. Basically, she stumbles a lot, since she's not used to this. You know Wander in Shadow of the Colossus? How he kind of sucks at using his sword? It's like that. (No, seriously, I thought of that when writing Aika's fight scenes in this chapter.)_

_As for Social Links, she's just getting bombarded with them right about now. First Chie, then Yosuke, then Uncle, then Chie _and_ Yosuke, then Margaret… basically, it's driving her crazy right about now, and she hasn't told _anyone_ about the Social Link aspect to her special little ability. I'm going to take liberties with her situation and say that Yasogami High doesn't get very many transfer students. So when she shows up, everyone looks at her as free game. Yosuke sees another girl he could woo, Chie sees someone who could become a second Yukiko to her, and Yukiko sees someone in the position completely opposite to her own, and is kind of jealous of that. _

_So one of the most glaring differences between canon and this little continuity is that Aika is _considerably_ closer to her parents and her uncle than Yu ever was, to the point that, were this a game, the interface would say "Uncle" instead of "Dojima". Not to mention, Aika starts Uncle's Social Link _way_ before she starts Nanako's. And (spoiler alert?) she'll have one with her parents too._

_And Master Daidara is Chie's uncle. I don't know, her surprising lack of backstory, at least compared to the others, kind of bugged mer._

_I think I've rambled enough for one chapter. Please review!_


	4. Chapter 4

As Aika walked to school the next morning, she clutched her umbrella tightly with both hands so that it wouldn't blow away. It was pouring so hard and it was so windy that she was still pelted by the rain, even under the umbrella. If there was one thing she hated about Inaba, besides the obvious, it was definitely the rain. "Morning!" Aika stopped and turned around, only to see Chie running up to her.

"Good morning, Chie-san," Aika greeted pleasantly.

"Hey, Yukiko told me she'll be able to come to school again in two days!" Chie told her excitedly.

"That's great!" Aika said, smiling.

"I know!" Chie replied. "I actually got to talk to her mom too. She thought Yukiko caught pneumonia or something. Or… what's the kissing disease?"

"Mono?" Aika supplied.

"Yeah, that!" Chie said. "But it's not like Yukiko's kissed anyone before…" She sighed irritably. "I don't know… When she texted me this morning, she said she couldn't even get out of bed… Her mom's making her rest today, and she has to stay home tomorrow, just in case."

"Are you doing okay, Chie-san?" Aika asked concernedly. "Things sort of happened kind of fast, a-and…"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Chie assured her. "How about you?"

Aika stared upward at the clouds. "I've gone to bed early almost every night this past week," she said. "Yesterday, I couldn't make dinner because I fell asleep right after I got back." She tightened her grip on her umbrella, glaring at the floor.

"You're still kinda bummed about the whole fighting thing, huh?" Chie asked. "Well if you'd like, we can train together! It's not like we _have_ to go into the TV every time we wanna train. And…" Chie's face lit up. "Ooh, I have an idea! Let's go in again today! But just to train this time, so we probably won't stay as long, and you won't be so tired later." Chie grinned at her. "Don't worry, Aika. We'll toughen you up!"

Somewhere along the way, between feeling embarrassed and feeling strangely happy that Chie was harping so much on her rather lackluster fighting skills, Aika felt a surge of power. Thankfully, there was no voice in her head this time. _Is this… Chie's Social Link? _

"Oh crap, we're gonna be late!" Chie gasped, before smirking at Aika. "And your training starts now! Race you to class!"

Before Aika could process what was happening, Chie took off running. "H-Hey!" Aika shouted, breaking into a run after her. "Wait up!"

* * *

"It's all yours, Aika!" Yosuke called, jumping away from the Shadow before him.

"Senri!" Aika said, waving her arm, but it was Jack Frost that appeared instead. "No… Uh… Garu? No, that's Kodama's…" But then Chie defeated the Shadow with one swift kick. "I'm sorry…"

"No worries," Yosuke said, grinning. "You'll get the hang of this in no time. Try not to piss off any Shadows until then, okay?"

"I have an idea!" Chie announced. "Why don't you line all your Personas up in a specific order? Then you won't be scrambling for them when you have to switch. Y'think that'll work?"

"It will!" Teddie answered enthusiastically. "I can feel it!"

Aika shrugged. "It might." She closed her eyes and visualized her Personae. _Let's see… Kodama in the front… then Jack Frost, then Senri, and then Aoandon in the back…_ In her mind, the cards aligned themselves. When she opened her eyes, Yosuke, Chie and Teddie were staring expectantly at her. "I'm ready," she told them. "Can we go look for more Shadows?"

The three of them exchanged smiles, and Aika's heart swelled with pride.

* * *

That evening, Aika's parents called. "Well, we're taking off," her mother said on the phone. "Goodbye Japan, hello France!" Aika sighed heavily; she really did want to see France after all. "You're sure you'll be okay, right? You getting along with Ryo-chan and Nana-chan?"

"Um… yeah," Aika replied. "Yeah, they're fine."

"What's wrong?" her mother asked after a short pause. "You sound kind of… tense."

"N-Nothing's wrong!" Aika answered. "Really, I'm fine." It felt like she'd been saying that a lot lately, too.

Her mother sighed. "I'm gonna miss you so much, kiddo. You have no idea."

_So don't go_, Aika wanted to say, but couldn't muster the courage to do so. "I'll miss you too," she said instead.

"Hang on, your dad wants to talk to you."

Aika could hear shuffling on the other line, before her father spoke up, his voice choked up. "I'm going to miss you so much, Aika," he said, and Aika could just picture him tearing up and trying his hardest not to burst into tears. "I don't know if I'll be able to call you every day, but we'll talk every week, at least, okay? Promise me."

"I promise," Aika said quietly, clutching the receiver tightly with both hands.

"And be sure to take care of your uncle and Nanako, all right?"

Aika smiled wryly. "I will," she said.

"And take care of yourself too," her dad continued. "It's… It's just like it always is with us, only less lonely. Think of it like that."

Aika knew all too well. "Okay."

"And… I can't think of anything else."

Aika giggled. "Okay," she said again. And, just in time to ruin the moment, the voice in her head struck again (and she was _so_ not getting used to this).

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Sun Arcanum…_

Aika exhaled sharply. Her duty and Persona just wouldn't leave her alone, would they? "Well, we need to get going," Fuuji Nakamura said reluctantly. "Bye, Aika."

"Bye, Daddy," Aika whispered before hanging up the receiver. And, despite having a new Social Link form, she still felt… empty, almost. It only occurred to her several minutes later that she'd called him "Daddy" – something she hadn't done since grade school. When she felt tears well up in her eyes, she immediately started cutting onions so that Nanako wouldn't say anything.

But Aika was almost positive that Nanako knew exactly what was going through her head. Nanako was staring at her too intently, even though Aika stopped crying shortly after cutting the onions. When Nanako let her have the last croquette without argument, there was no longer any doubt in Aika's mind that Nanako _knew_.

* * *

Aika tried not to think of her parents the next day, but whenever she wasn't thinking about school or Persona or the case, her mind would invariably drift back to her conversation with them the previous night, which would make her eyes sting, though not enough for her to actually cry.

Yosuke approached her right after the last class had ended, a carefree smile on his face. "Yo!" he greeted cheerfully. Aika didn't even have the energy to smile back at him. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Aika asked, finally looking up at him. "I'm fi—" she cut herself off, exhaling sharply and squeezing her eyes shut. This wasn't Nanako or Uncle, or even Mom or Dad – this was _Yosuke_. If she could trust him to watch her back in life-or-death situations, she could trust him with her own personal problems. "My parents left yesterday," she said blandly.

"Huh?" Yosuke asked. "What are you…?" His eyes widened in realization, and his face contorted into a sympathetic expression. "Oh…" He sighed. "Hey, uh… so there's this great Chinese place down in the shopping district. It's called Aiya's. Wanna go?"

"Oh…" Aika said quietly. "Um…" It would definitely get her mind off things. "Sure." They made small talk as they walked together from school, their umbrellas occasionally bumping into each other. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to really engage in the conversation.

At long last, they finally reached the restaurant – a warm room with a spicy scent in the air. A tall, silver-haired boy working behind the counter looked over to the doorway when the bell above the door chimed. His grey eyes softened slightly as he smiled. "Ah, Hanamura-san," he greeted pleasantly, nodding.

"Hey, Narukami," Yosuke replied, grinning as they walked over to the counter. "Aika, this is Yu Narukami, from class 2-3. His family owns this restaurant. Narukami-san, this is Aika Nakamura."

"It's nice to meet you," Yu said pleasantly, bowing his head to her.

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled. "I-It's nice to meet you too."

"Say, are you by any chance related to Fuuji Nakamura?" Yu asked.

"Y-Yeah, he's my dad," Aika replied, her eyes fixed on the floor. "D-Do you know him?"

Yu smiled gently. "He and my father were apparently close friends, back when they were still in high school," he said. "Oh, I'm sorry. What would you guys like?"

"Two specials," Yosuke said, holding up two fingers.

"Special?" Aika whispered to him.

"Just trust me on this one," Yosuke whispered back. "See ya, Narukami." Aika blushed when Yosuke wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her to an empty table. "So what's up?"

"Huh?" Aika asked.

"What's bugging you?" Yosuke clarified. "Is it just your parents, or is it the case too?"

"It's…" Aika started, her eyes averting downward as she clasped her hands tightly together in her lap. "It's everything, I guess… It's just… It's kind of overwhelming."

"Yeah, it is," Yosuke agreed. "So what's the deal with your parents? Where did you say they were going again?"

"France," Aika answered. "They're going to France." She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "I… I asked them if I could go with them… before… and…" She trailed off as she felt her face heat up. While she didn't exactly feel like crying, she still felt rather miserable.

"They wouldn't let you, huh?" Yosuke guessed correctly.

"Yeah… I-It's not that I'm not… happy… here. I am, really. I love my uncle, and this is the best place I've ever lived in, without a doubt. But…"

Yosuke smiled gently at her. "It's just not the same without your parents, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"I completely understand," Yosuke said sincerely. "When my dad first got the new job offer, he said he'd move here himself and stay here until he got a better job offer, so we wouldn't have to move with him. Well, my mom completely freaked. I mean, she gave him a laundry list of reasons why us not sticking together was a terrible idea. And, well, my dad disagreed. So he came down here for a couple weeks, and my mom was totally miserable, so we moved down here with him." He leaned back in his chair. "So what're your parents like? General consensus here is that your mom is a complete and total badass. So badass that she made Chie's dad piss his pants on more than one occasion. And let me tell you, Chie's dad is _frightening_."

Aika giggled, despite herself. "Yeah, she does kind of… strike fear in everyone's hearts. Actually, Dad says that Uncle is a total wimp, compared to her."

"What, seriously?" Yosuke asked incredulously. "Your uncle's scary, though!" He groaned, and Aika laughed again. "Remind me to never get on your mom's bad side. _Ever_."

"Believe it or not, it's really hard to get on her bad side," Aika said. "You'd have to do something unspeakably horrible to me, Dad, Uncle, Auntie, or Nanako… or her too, now that I think about it." She giggled. "She gave me this whole speech when I first moved here about how I had to 'assert my dominance'. And apparently she gave Uncle that speech when he started middle school too."

"So what about your dad?" Yosuke asked. "What's he like? I mean, I haven't heard much about him around here."

"He's…" Aika trailed off. "People wonder why he ever agreed to marry my mom."

"Why?"

"Apparently, Mom and Uncle were considered the worst troublemakers ever back in the day, and Dad and Auntie were the nicest, most responsible people in town. But for some reason, they were all best friends. They just got along _so well_. I mean, my dad gets really emotional all the time, and he's usually the one telling me not to take everything my mom says so seriously, because she's kind of psycho. It all kind of started when Uncle fell in love with Auntie. Dad totally freaked out, because he didn't think Uncle was good enough for her. And Auntie went out with him anyway because, hey, she was _older_ than him, and she didn't think her little brother had any right to boss her around."

"Wait, hold up," Yosuke interrupted. "Little brother?"

"Only by a few minutes," Aika clarified. "Dad and Auntie are twins."

"Wait, so you're all… really, _really_ related," Yosuke said. "'Cause your mom and your uncle are siblings, and your dad and your aunt are siblings, so… That's just… _Wow_."

Aika giggled. "Yeah, that's why everyone always asks me whether I'm Nakamura or Dojima," she said. "Anyway, Mom felt kind of bad for Dad, so she asked him out specifically so they could go on a double date with Uncle and Auntie, and… it all sort of went uphill from there."

"Wow, that sounds… almost normal," Yosuke said. "Compared to what we're going through, of course."

Aika's face flushed a vivid shade of scarlet. "H-Huh?"

"What?" Yosuke asked. "What's… W-Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" Aika covered her face with both her hands and desperately wished she could melt into the floor. "Wow, sorry for killing the mood there. So, you feeling better?"

And for the first time, Aika noticed just how calm and _happy_ she felt. While she still missed her parents, she no longer felt so… _empty_ without them. "Yeah," she answered, smiling and nodding. "Thanks, Yosuke-kun."

"Anytime," Yosuke replied. And then there was that surge of power again, just like what happened with Chie before.

And at that, Yu returned with two steaming bowls of noodles. "Two specials," he said calmly, a gentle smile painted on his face.

"Thanks, Narukami," Yosuke replied, grinning.

"So are you two here on a date?" Yu asked, raising one eyebrow.

"No!" Aika and Yosuke answered simultaneously, both their faces turning a furious shade of red.

* * *

"What're these?" Chie asked, staring down at the bento box sitting innocently in her lap.

"It's…" Aika said slowly, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Um… I sort of… made it…"

"Why?" Yosuke asked, his face deceptively blank.

"I… um… I wanted t-to thank you guys," Aika said in a rush. "For putting up with me and my crappy fighting skills… A-And for always watching my back…"

"You didn't have to—" Chie started. Then she opened her bento, and her eyes bugged out a little at the steak and rice sitting innocently there. "Wow, this looks amazing! You seriously _made_ this?"

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled, clasping her hands tightly together and staring at the floor.

Yosuke took his first bite – a piece of grilled fish – and his eyes widened in shock. "Wow," was all he said.

"Sorry, I'm late," a new voice said. Yukiko walked over, her hands behind her back.

"Oh…" Aika said quietly. "U-Um… Yukiko-san, I-I have one for you too."

"Huh?" Yukiko asked. "For me?" Aika smiled and nodded, and Yukiko hesitantly took the wrapped bento Aika was holding out for her. "Thank you, but you really didn't have to."

"Okay," Yosuke said, suddenly all business, setting down his chopsticks. "We might as well get this over with. Yukiko-san, I hate to bring up stuff that you'd rather not think about… But we need to ask you again. Did you recall anything about when you were kidnapped?"

Yukiko stared down at her bento, her eyes narrowing a little. "No… I thought I might remember something if I let it sit for a while, but as time passes, it only gets hazier… I think… the doorbell rang at the entrance… and someone called for me… But when I woke up after that, I was already in the castle. I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize," Chie said gently. "But does this mean her visitor is the culprit?"

"It sounds like the most obvious answer…" Aika mused. "But what kind of killer would ring the doorbell?"

"I guess it makes sense in a way," Yosuke said. "I mean, if you're gonna resort to serial murder, you might as well go all out."

"I can ask my uncle if he has any information…" Aika said quietly. "… but I doubt he'd tell me anything anyway."

"But if it's that obvious, why hasn't anyone figured it out already?" Chie asked. "I mean, it's like whoever did it wore bright yellow clothes to the crime scene!"

"But we can be sure of one thing," Yosuke interjected. "It's no coincidence that people keep ending up in that place."

"So someone is knowingly and willingly throwing people into the TV," Aika concluded. "Didn't we figure this out already?"

Chie sighed. "We're just running around in circles…"

"Oh yeah," Yukiko quipped. "I've been meaning to ask you about that. What's all this about the TV?"

"Remember how we ended up in Junes after we rescued you?" Chie asked. "Well to get to the place where we found you, we need to go inside the TV."

"And we have Personas to fight," Yosuke added.

"All of you?" Yukiko asked.

"You too, Yukiko-san," Aika pointed out. "You got yours when you accepted your Shadow – the same thing happened to Yosuke-kun and Chie-san."

"You too?" Yukiko asked.

"Um…" Aika mumbled, staring downward at her feet. "I-I'm not really sure… B-But this whole… Persona thing started with me, s-so I'm going to finish it."

"I'm helping too!" Chie announced. "I can't believe someone would throw people into a place like that! I'm gonna sock whoever's doing this!"

"You probably knew this already, but I'm _definitely_ in too," Yosuke said.

"Let me help too," Yukiko said quickly.

"B-But Yukiko-san…" Aika said quietly.

"I want to know why this is happening," Yukiko elaborated. "… especially if someone hates me so much they want to kill me. I don't want to run away from myself anymore."

"All right!" Yosuke cheered. "Then let's all work together and catch this asshole!"

Aika giggled, and felt oddly comforted by the power surging within her. _I wonder which Social Link this is… I don't think it's Yosuke's or Chie's… but maybe it's the one with both of them?_

"But how're we gonna find them?" Chie asked. "We don't have a single lead yet."

"I'm the third one to be targeted so far," Yukiko said, "but I have a feeling this isn't the end of it. If we had an idea of who might be targeted next, wouldn't we have an advantage over the killer?"

"So far, all we know is that whoever ends up in the TV world shows up on the Midnight Channel first," Aika pointed out. "But maybe there's another pattern to it all."

"I've got it!" Yosuke announced. "They're all girls!"

"How _dare_ he target females!" Chie ranted. "Now that's unforgivable! This culprit's got to be some kind of pervert!"

"Oh, how about this?" Yosuke continued. "The second and third victims both had some kind of connection to the first one. Saki-senpai was the one who found that announcer's body."

"Yeah, and that announcer lady stayed at Yukiko's inn!" Chie finished.

"So… females connected to Yamano-san's case are being targeted?" Aika thought aloud."

"Wait a minute!" Yosuke shouted suddenly in a panicked voice. "Females connected to that announcer's case? That means you too, Aika!"

"M-Me?" Aika asked, a shiver running down her spine. "Why me?"

"Your uncle's the head detective on the case, right?" Yosuke asked. "So what if the killer targets you to get to him?"

"I… B-But…" Aika was at a complete loss for words. Would she really be targeted? Did Uncle know? And if she was a potential target, then so was Nanako!

"Just…" Yosuke said slowly. "Just be careful for now, Aika… Then again, it would be a lot easier saying that if we had a single clue what to look out _for_… Damn it, maybe you shouldn't—"

"No," Aika said firmly. "I'm already too far in to back out now. I'm seeing this through to the end."

"Wait a minute, Chie's in danger too!" Yosuke moaned. "'Cause she's best friends with Yukiko, who's already a victim!"

"Oh, just man up already," Chie grumbled. "Anyway, I wonder what kind of person the culprit is."

"Well, if you focus just on the announcer's case, it sounds like a revenge thing," Yosuke said. "Maybe it was her lover's wife."

"But Misuzu Hiiragi had a solid alibi, didn't she?" Chie retorted. "And it seemed like she was already separated from her husband."

"Really?" Yosuke asked. "Wow, you know a lot about this. Anyway, what about the second case? Saki-senpai… she found the announcer's body. Assuming the same person killed them both, why target Senpai?"

"Maybe she knew something she wasn't supposed to know," Aika suggested. "So she was killed so she couldn't talk, maybe?"

"But the killer just threw the announcer into the TV, right?" Yukiko asked. "I don't think he would've left evidence the police – much less a high school student – would catch."

Aika sighed. "Maybe the killer really _is_ just a creepy pedophile who's after women…"

Yosuke groaned. "We aren't getting anywhere…" he grumbled. "Okay, how about this? The next time it rains, we'll watch the Midnight Channel and see if anything pops up. Until then, we keep going back into the TV to train whenever we can. We need to be prepared for anything."

"So are we going in today?" Aika asked.

"We might as well," Chie replied. "We still need to toughen you up a _lot_ more, Aika."

Aika sighed. "Okay…"

* * *

Yukiko gazed around the TV world, her eyes wide. "Wow, so this really is inside the TV…" she whispered. When Teddie waddled over, her eyes widened even further. "It's Teddie… then it _wasn't_ a dream!"

"A-Are you feeling better, Yuki-chan?" Teddie asked, smiling. "I did what you said! I've been a good bear!"

"Oh, I see…" Yukiko said. "Good boy!"

Teddie blushed, and Aika giggled. "Well, this bear's part of the reason we want to find the culprit," Yosuke explained.

"I'm one of the group now too," Yukiko told Teddie. "So let's work together, okay?"

"I was thinking the same thing!" Teddie said cheerfully. "That's why I got these ready for you, Yuki-chan!"

Teddie handed Yukiko a pair of red-rimmed glasses, which she put on immediately. "Oh, so _these_ are what everyone was wearing," she said. "Thank you, Teddie." Yukiko frowned as she gazed at Teddie's other hand. "Hmm? What's that you're holding?"

"Oh, this is a pair I kind of screwed up on," Teddie explained.

Without warning, Yukiko grabbed the extra pair of glasses and swapped them with her own. Aika let out a giggle, before covering her mouth and partially hiding behind Yosuke. There were swirls where the lenses should have been, along with a gag nose and a moustache. "How do I look?" Yukiko asked, laughing.

"Uh…" Chie mumbled, and Aika giggled along with Yukiko.

"I want to wear this one," Yukiko announced. "It's even got a nose guard!"

"Oh no you don't!" Chie argued.

"How bear-y unfortunate…" Teddie drawled. "That pair doesn't have the right lenses in."

"Aw, too bad," Yukiko whined before taking off the glasses. "Here, Chie. Your turn!"

Chie sighed irritably. "Man… All right, fine…" When Chie swapped her glasses for the gag ones, Yukiko burst into a fit of laughter, and Aika giggled, shuffling farther behind Yosuke. "How did it come to this?" Chie moaned before turning her attention to Aika. "What're _you_ laughing at, Aika? Now it's your turn!" Aika didn't have any choice in the matter, as Chie yanked her out from behind Yosuke, pulled off her glasses, and shoved the gag ones there instead. Yukiko laughed even harder, and Aika felt her face heat up.

"Uh, Yukiko-san?" Yosuke asked. "Hello…"

Chie sighed. "There goes one of Yukiko's laughing fits… I never thought she'd do it when someone besides me was around."

The glasses began to slip down Aika's nose, and she was forced to hold it in place with both hands. "They're too big…" she complained.

Chie groaned as she yanked the glasses away from Aika. "These glasses are _useless_ for investigating!" she ranted. "What the hell's this nose for anyway?"

"Nice work, huh?" Teddie retorted. "That's what happens when you guys leave me alone and I get bored!"

"Well, it's good that she's in high spirits again," Yosuke pointed out.

Yukiko snorted. "Chie, Aika… the look on your faces… It was so funny!" Needless to say, Yukiko didn't stop laughing until much, much later.

* * *

And so, the days passed by quickly, and Aika busied herself with schoolwork, cooking, and training in the TV world. Now that more Personae had been added to her arsenal, she finally paid another visit to the Velvet Room, this time on her own terms. "Welcome," Igor greeted pleasantly, cryptic smile and everything.

"A pleasure to see you again," Margaret said. "Was there something you required of us?"

"I…" Aika started. "I just thought I should try… fusing Personas… Can I do that?"

Margaret shared a knowing look with Igor, smiled, and nodded. "Yes, of course," she said gently. "Come sit with me." She pat the seat next to her, and Aika sat down, crossing her legs and clasping her hands together tightly. Margaret opened the large tome she was holding and flipped through the pages. At long last, a card ascended from one of the open pages. "Hone-Onna of the Hermit Arcanum," Margaret said. "I would suggest fusing Angel with Kodama to obtain this Persona."

"Angel…" Aika echoed. "… and Kodama?" To be honest, she didn't know how to feel about giving up Kodama. Kodama had helped her so much during the short time she'd used him to fight. Giving him up was almost unthinkable. "If it helps, know that you are simply merging two parts of yourself to give rise to a new part," Margaret said gently.

Aika nodded before she could stop herself. "I'll do it," she said quickly. Before she could process what was happening, two cards appeared on the table in front of Igor. The long-nosed man waved his arm, and an electric blue link appeared between the cards. The cards rose into the air and came together. In a flash of bright white light, a white-faced woman in a kimono with skeletal hands carrying a red peony lantern appeared.

_I am Hone-Onna, O-Tsuyu. I prey on foolish men who see nothing more than another pretty woman. I am thou…_

Margaret smiled warmly at Aika. "Congratulations on your first successful Persona fusion," she said.

"Thank you," Aika said, bowing to Margaret and Igor. "Um… I have some questions about Social Links."

"Ask, and I will answer to the best of my abilities," Margaret said.

Aika made her way back to the seat next to Margarets, and she rocked back and forth nervously. "How exactly do they form?" she asked. "Like, why do they form with certain people and not others? I thought they would only form with people I just met, but I have one with my uncle, and I even have one with my parents! So… _why_?"

"Perhaps you are not as close to your family as you _think_ you are," Margaret suggested. "Perhaps you could use your Social Links as an excuse to become closer to the people you interact with. It would most certainly serve you well."

"But…" Aika protested weakly.

"Ah, I see," Margaret said understandingly. "You are still against the usage of Social Links at all."

"I can't stop them from developing…" Aika said slowly, "… but if I don't use multiple Personas, then I won't be able to fight much at all!"

Margaret tilted her head to the side. "Very strange… You are much different from our previous guest."

"You mean there were other people with Wild Cards?" Aika asked.

Margaret smiled wistfully. "Yes, of course," she said. "There was one other – a girl in high school, much like yourself. I did not have the pleasure of knowing her – my younger brother did. But the stories I've heard of her…" Margaret chuckled. "She was quite the character, or so I've heard."

"What happened to her?" Aika asked.

Something hardened in Margaret's gaze, and Aika felt guilty for asking at all. "That is another story for another day," Margaret said simply.

Aika stared down at her feet. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"You did not," Margaret replied, though Aika couldn't shake off the feeling that Margaret was lying. Suddenly, there was a familiar surge of power, and Aika exhaled slowly. "Your Social Link with me has developed," Margaret guessed correctly.

"So _that's_ what that… thing is," Aika said to herself as she stood up and dusted herself off. "I should get going. Um… thanks for your help, and I'm sorry for the trouble."

* * *

"Due to the weekend rainfall, clear skies seem unlikely in the area," said the weather announcer on TV several nights later. "A thick fog is expected to set in tonight and remain until tomorrow morning, with heaviest concentration in the Inaba area. Anyone planning on going out tonight should take care. Now, for our hourly weather breakdown…"

"More fog, huh?" Uncle mused. "There's been a lot of that lately… Hopefully it's not a sign of more trouble." Aika exhaled slowly, staring down at her tea and thanking every god she knew of that Yukiko wouldn't show up dead and mutilated on a telephone pole or TV antenna somewhere. She didn't even register Nanako changing the channel until Uncle admonished her for it. "Ah-ah-ah, what did I say about changing the channel without asking?"

Nanako stared downward, frowning slightly, but Aika couldn't bring herself to say anything. "Have a great day, even during Golden Week, at your local Junes!" said an advertisement. "Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" And then there was the jingle.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang, perking up immediately, and Aika couldn't help but smile. "Dad, they're going to be open during Golden Week!"

"Oh, that's coming up soon, isn't it?" Aika asked. To be honest, she hadn't even thought about the upcoming holidays, or what she was going to do with all her free time.

"Do you girls want to go somewhere during the long holiday?" Uncle asked, smiling.

Nanako stood up, bouncing on her toes excitedly. "We can go somewhere?" she asked, shock evident on her face.

"If it's not too much trouble…" Aika said quietly.

"Let's all go somewhere together!" Nanako said cheerfully. "Junes! Junes Junes Junes!"

Uncle sighed. "You're sure you want to go to Junes?" he asked. "We can go there anytime…" Nanako sang the Junes jingle again, and Uncle laughed. "Come on, girls, time for bed. It's late."

"All right…" Nanako mumbled.

"Both of us?" Aika asked.

"You're going to get up at the crack of dawn anyway, right?" Uncle asked. "So you might as well sleep early for a change."

Aika sighed. "All right…" she mumbled, perfectly, yet unintentionally mimicking Nanako.

But though she didn't show it quite like Nanako did, she was definitely just as excited as her younger cousin was for the family outing.

* * *

"Hey," Yosuke said to her after class the next day. "Did you catch the Midnight Channel last night?"

"Sorry, no," Aika replied. "I went to bed kind of early."

"Oh, okay," Yosuke said. "Get this – no one appeared."

"So no one's going to be kidnapped," Aika said slowly.

"Not yet, at least," Yosuke said. "I think… I think we're good for now. So anyway, are you busy today?"

"Not really," Aika replied.

"Great!" Yosuke said cheerfully. "There's this place I want to show you. It's a bit of a walk though…" As it turned out, "a bit of a walk" turned out to be a long hike, and it was only because of the endless hours of training she'd spent in the TV world that she wasn't completely out of breath by the time she finally stopped. "It's a good thing the fog cleared up for the most part," Yosuke said, "'cause then you wouldn't be able to see _this_."

And there it was – a view of the entire city, all from the top of a hill. "Wow!" Aika gasped. She'd seen larger cities from up above, sure, but nothing quite compared to Inaba.

"Like it?" Yosuke asked, grinning down at her.

Aika smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Yosuke smiled wistfully. "You know… I asked Senpai if she wanted to come up here with me… a couple weeks before she died."

Aika clasped her hands together tightly. While she didn't know Saki Konishi all that well, it was still easy to forget that Yosuke _did_, and was even quite close to her, or at least as close as Saki Konishi would allow anyone to get. "What did she say?"

"She…" Yosuke chuckled. "She said _maybe_. After she was done with her entrance exams." His eyes narrowed in sadness, and Aika felt a pang in her chest. "She… never got to take her entrance exams… All that hard work in cram school, wasted, just like that…" As if suddenly remembering where he was and whom he was with, Yosuke's eyes widened. "S-Sorry," he said. "I guess it's kind of weird to be worrying about her entrance exams, of all things…"

And it probably should have been, but Aika couldn't bring herself to care. "I understand," she said quietly.

And then, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, almost hugging her. Were it anyone else, it probably would have been considered a purely romantic gesture. Even with Yosuke, it was hard to tell, but given the current situation, Aika couldn't bring herself to think of anything romantic. So instead, she wrapped both her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, an impulsive move in and of itself, for her at least. And despite everything, the moment was everything _but_ romantic, and Aika didn't want it any other way.

"Thanks, Aika," Yosuke said quietly, and she leaned into him. "For everything."

In a way, the surge of power she felt soon afterward – Yosuke's Social Link developing, no doubt – killed the moment. But neither of them said anything for the next several minutes, and it wasn't until it began to grow dark that they finally started their descent down the hill.

* * *

"The fourth and the fifth…" Uncle said quietly after dinner that night. "I think I might be able to get the fourth and the fifth off."

Nanako gasped loudly. "Really?" she asked excitedly. But then, her enthusiasm quickly dissipated, and her expression hardened. "Really?"

"What, you don't believe me?" Uncle asked.

"It's always cancelled," Nanako pointed out.

"N-Not every year!" Uncle protested. "I know you wanted to go to Junes, but… I wouldn't mind going a little farther out of the neighborhood."

"Really?" Nanako gasped.

"We can go on a trip?" Aika asked soon afterward.

Uncle chuckled. "All right, all right. We need to think of someplace to go…"

"I can make boxed lunches!" Aika said excitedly. "I'll make something special, so it'll be different from what you guys eat for lunch every day."

"Yay, boxed lunches!" Nanako enthused.

And, all too quickly, the evening dissolved into Aika and Nanako planning the family outing, with Uncle just sitting there, smiling.

* * *

_Maybe I should make botamochi… _Aika thought a couple nights later, completely drowning out the TV. _Yes, I'll do that! And maybe I'll make eel too! But what if Nanako doesn't like it…?_ The phone ringing snapped her out of her thoughts, and Nanako was the one who answered it.

"Hello, Dad?" she said in a slightly panicked voice. "Yeah, we're okay." She exhaled sharply. "Yeah… Yeah." She sighed. "Okay… All right…"

"Is something wrong?" Aika asked, walking over to her younger cousin.

Nanako blinked furiously to try not to cry as she handed Aika the phone. "He said to give you the phone… He can't take those days off."

Before Aika could say a word, Nanako ran off, leaving her no choice but to take Uncle's call. "Hi, Uncle…" she said dejectedly.

"Sorry, but I'm going to be late," Uncle said. "Make sure you lock up before you go to sleep."

"Okay," Aika answered listlessly.

She could hear him sigh on the other line. "Nanako told you, huh?"

Aika clutched the receiver tightly with both hands. "Yeah…"

"One of the younger guys got sick," Uncle explained. "And, well, that case he's handling… We can't let it sit, and it looks like I'm the only one who can take over for him. I'm really sorry, Aika. I know you were looking forward to this."

"Th-That's okay," Aika said quickly, realizing to her horror that her eyes were stinging, and if she wasn't careful, she'd start crying too. "Um… we can always go… s-some other time…"

"I'm really sorry about this," Uncle apologized again.

"It's okay, Uncle," Aika said again. "Um… I should probably let you get back to your work. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can come home, right?"

"Yeah…" Uncle said. "Bye, Aika. Take care."

"Bye…"

* * *

The doorbell rang soon after breakfast the next morning. Chie stood outside, smiling. "Hey, Aika!" she greeted cheerfully. "Sorry for dropping by unannounced. Anyway, are you free today? Wanna go somewhere? Yukiko's coming too."

"Um…" Aika said quietly. She didn't want to leave Nanako alone, especially after Uncle had cancelled their plans. "I kind of…"

"Hey, your little sister can come too!" Chie said. "Uh…"

"Nanako," Aika supplied helpfully.

Chie bent down, putting her hands on her knees, so that she was eye-level with Nanako. "So how 'bout it, Nanako-chan? Wanna come?"

"Huh?" Nanako asked confusedly, looking from Chie to Aika. "I-I can come?"

"Of course!" Aika answered cheerfully. "That is… if you want to."

"Sure!" Nanako replied.

* * *

"Why did you bring poor Nanako-chan to a place like this on Golden Week?" Yosuke asked as he, Aika, Chie, Yukiko, and Nanako sat at a table in the food court of Junes.

"Where else is there to go?" Chie deadpanned.

"I love Junes!" Nanako enthused.

"N-Nanako-chan!" Yosuke stammered, his face turning slightly pink, and Aika giggled.

"But we were supposed to go on a real trip somewhere," Nanako said glumly. "We were going to make boxed lunches."

"Wow, you can make boxed lunches, Nanako-chan?" Yukiko asked.

"No, Big Sis was gonna…" Nanako began. "Big… Sis…"

"Hey, I can make boxed lunches too!" Chie announced. "Like the ones Aika made us the other day. Easy as pie!"

"Uh, let me think about – _no_," Yosuke said.

"What makes you think I can't cook?" Chie shot back. "Let's have a cook-off and see for ourselves!"

"My, my, doth the lady protest too much?" Yosuke taunted. "And, hey, I never said I cooked. But I have this weird feeling… Like I'd win anyway…"

Yukiko giggled. "I can understand that."

"What the—Yukiko!" Chie yelled.

"Nanako-chan can be our judge," Yosuke suggested. "I bet we'll make something that ranks up there with your mom's cooking, Nanako-chan!"

"Yosuke-kun!" Aika shrieked on impulse.

"Wh-What?" he asked, backtracking immediately. "What, did I say something wrong?"

"I don't have a mom," Nanako explained. "She died in an accident."

"I-I see…" Yosuke stammered. "Um… I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay," Aika and Nanako said in unison.

"Even though I don't have a mom, I still have Dad with me," Nanako said. "And my sister's _kind of_ like a mom."

"H-Huh?" Aika asked. "Really?"

"And I'm having a lot of fun today!" Nanako enthused. "I _love_ Junes!"

"Y-Yeah?" Yosuke asked. "That's good."

"We'll play with you anytime you want, Nanako-chan!" Chie said.

"Yeah, we should hang out more often," Yukiko agreed.

Yosuke grinned. "Come on, Nanako-chan. Let's go get a soda!"

Aika's smile widened as the two of them left. "Thank you so much for doing this," she said.

"She's a strong girl…" Yukiko observed.

"Yeah, she makes me feel like _I'm_ the little kid here," Chie agreed.

Aika giggled. "She tends to do that sometimes."

"That's it!" Chie announced. "I'm gonna get something for Nanako-chan too!"

"I'll come with you," Yukiko volunteered. As the two of them left, Aika smiled wistfully to herself. She really had made great friends, if they really cared enough to spend time with her little cousin.

When Nanako ran back, Aika was promptly snapped out of her thoughts. "Hmm? Is something wrong?"

"No," Nanako replied a little breathlessly. "Do you want something too?"

Aika smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm okay," she said. And suddenly…

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Justice Arcanum…_

Aika frowned to herself. "Why…"

"Are you okay?" Nanako asked.

"Huh…?" Aika said faintly, shaking her head to clear it. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine." She stood up, her knees shaking slightly, and made her way over to Nanako.

"Let's share some takoyaki!" Nanako suggested, tugging on Aika's hand.

"That sounds like a good idea," Aika agreed.

And as the day progressed, Aika couldn't bring herself to feel upset at the formation of a new Social Link.

* * *

The next morning, Aika found herself at the police station, boxed lunches safely packed away inside a bag she was carrying. The last time she was here, she was too anxious and carsick to learn the layout of the building, so she had to ask for directions several times before she finally stumbled upon her uncle's office. "Are you sure he's here?" Nanako whispered from behind her.

"Well… not really," Aika answered honestly. "But he's bound to come back sometime, right?" And, sure enough, Uncle wasn't there in his office. "Th-That's okay. We can just wait for him to come back." Nanako sat in Uncle's chair, spinning it around repeatedly, and Aika shoved a stack of papers aside so she could sit on the desk (facing away from Nanako, because she felt sick just watching the smaller girl spin around and around and around on that damn chair).

Soon enough, Uncle returned with a cup of coffee, dropping it promptly when he saw Aika and Nanako. "What are you doing here?" he asked, disbelief evident in his tone.

"Since you said you couldn't come with us today, we thought we might as well visit you," Aika answered, smiling thinly at him.

"Big Sis made boxed lunches and everything!" Nanako said cheerfully.

Uncle raised one eyebrow. "'Big Sis,' huh?" He chuckled. "You really didn't need to go through all the trouble."

"I had all the ingredients ready before you told us you had to cancel," Aika pointed out. "So I just made everything I was going to make anyway."

"Let's eat outside!" Nanako suggested. "We can go on a picnic!"

"If you're not too busy, Uncle," Aika added.

"Well, I do have an hour off for lunch," Uncle said. "How does the floodplain sound?"

"Yay, we're going on a picnic!" Nanako cheered.

* * *

"This is really good!" Nanako gushed as she stuffed a piece of eel into her mouth.

"Thanks, Nanako," Aika said. "We should do this more often."

"We should," Uncle agreed.

Nanako tilted her head to the side as she stared off into the distance. "Hey, that's Mana-chan!"

"You can go talk to her, if you want," Uncle said. "Come back quickly, okay?"

"Okay!" Nanako replied, standing up, smoothing out her dress, and running.

"Thanks, Aika," Uncle said when Nanako was out of earshot. "It was really nice of you to do this."

Aika gave a small smile. "It was nothing. We're family, right?"

"Yeah. You know, it's weird. I always thought you'd end up as a mini-Masami. But you're not like her at all. Actually, you're a lot more like your dad."

"I actually get that a lot," Aika said.

Uncle chuckled. "I'm not surprised." He sighed. "You're really liking it here, huh?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't know. Masami always made it sound like you were some kind of loner who doesn't get out much. But here you are, always hanging around Junes with your friends. Was Masami really that clueless about you, or did you change after coming here?"

Aika felt her face heat up. "I… I think I changed. Mom wasn't lying when she said I didn't get out much. I mean, I never really had any friends, but I never tried to make them either, because I knew I was going to be leaving soon enough anyway." Aika shrugged. "I-I don't know… I guess I just thought I'd… try to have a social life here since I'm going to be here for a whole year."

"Well, I'm glad you're making an effort to settle down here. You can always come back after you graduate, if you really like it here that much."

Aika smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Uncle."

There was another surge of power shortly before Nanako returned. "Mana-chan's family's going on vacation!" Nanako said.

"I'm sorry we couldn't do much this year," Uncle apologized.

"It's okay," Nanako replied. "I had lots of fun with Big Sis and her friends yesterday! And we went on a picnic today!"

Aika exchanged knowing smiles with her uncle.

* * *

The next day, Aika decided to pay a visit to the shrine after going grocery shopping at Junes. The shrine was dusty and obviously neglected, but Aika kneeled before it anyway, clasping her hands together in prayer.

_Please watch over me and my friends, and please let this case be over soon._

Suddenly, without warning, a strange animal jumped before her. Aika gave a little yelp of surprise before going completely still, as the animal started sniffing her. Though she tried her best not to look at it for too long, it definitely appeared to be a fox, though it was wearing some sort of red bib. Aika squeezed her eyes shut as the fox refused to leave her alone, and she mentally cursed herself. Why did she have to visit the shrine anyway?

"I'm so sorry, Dojima-san!" an old man's voice suddenly cried. "Kaede! Back!" An old man in a yukata snapped his fingers, and the fox scampered over to his side. "My apologies, Dojima-san. Kaede-chan gets a little excited whenever someone new visits the shrine."

Not bothering to correct the old man, Aika knelt before the fox. "Kaede, huh…?" She looked up at the old man expectantly, and he nodded once. She reached out toward the fox, gasping and jerking backward when its head approached her hand, but then she strengthened her resolve and pat the fox affectionately on the head. Kaede leaned into her hand, closing her eyes and purring softly. Aika couldn't help but smile. Then Kaede licked her hand, and Aika yelped in surprise, jumping backwards.

The old man chuckled. "She likes you, Dojima-san," he said earnestly. "Then again, Kaede-chan likes just about anyone who is nice to her." Aika wanted to groan when the voice in her head struck again.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Hermit Arcanum…_

_ Hermit?_ Aika thought. _Isn't that one mine?_ Kaede licking her hand once more snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Are you feeling all right, Dojima-san?" the old man asked, concern evident in his voice. "You look pale."

_If this is seriously how I look every time a new Social Link forms, no wonder people think I'm sick all the time._ "I'm fine," Aika replied in a perfectly clear voice. "Thank you, though."

"You are most welcome," the old man said, bowing his head. "Come, Kaede-chan. It's time for lunch." The two of them disappeared into the shrine, and Aika sighed, taking one last look at the fox before going home.

* * *

When the front door slid open, Aika and Nanako cried out in unison, to each other: "He's home!"

Uncle chuckled as they both ran over to hug him. "If this is the reception I'm gonna get, I'll make sure to come home early every day."

"That's a Junes bag!" Nanako gasped as she noticed the brown paper bag he was carrying. "What's in it?"

"Good eye," Uncle complimented. "Well, today is Children's Day, so I bought you a present."

He pulled a piece of yellow folded fabric and handed it to Nanako. "Ooh, a T-shirt," she gushed.

Uncle laughed. "It took me a while to decide what to get you," he said. "You like it?"

"Wow, there's a picture on the front!" Nanako said happily as she unfolded it. "That's so funny! Yay!" She giggled, and Aika smiled.

"And this," Uncle said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a smiling stuffed bunny, "is for you, Aika." To be honest, Aika didn't really know what to make of the gift. Sure, she really liked stuffed animals back when she was Nanako's age, though she'd stopped receiving them for gifts a long time ago. Then again, the bunny _was_ pretty cute – white, with pink ears, buttons for eyes, a pink heart on its chest, and a wide smile. "They said it was guaranteed to make you smile. 'Don't cry, or Mr. Bun Bun will laugh at you,' or something like that."

A warm feeling bloomed in Aika's chest – more from the gesture than from the gift itself. "Thanks, Uncle," she said sincerely, hugging the bunny to her chest. "I love it."

All in all, it was a pleasant evening.

* * *

"Ugh, why do the holidays have to end so fast?" Chie complained after school the next day.

"At least they were peaceful," Yosuke pointed out. "I listened in on the housewives gossiping at Junes, but it doesn't seem like anything happened."

"Uncle actually came home last night, so I don't think anyone's disappeared," Aika added.

"Man, wouldn't it be great if Yukiko was the last of the victims?" Chie asked.

"I don't know…" Yukiko said forlornly. "I don't think we should relax as long as the culprit remains at large."

"If only we knew who the killer might be…" Yosuke said.

"Eh, it's no good fretting over it now," Chie said offhandedly "If someone does show up on the Midnight Channel, then we'll deal with it. It's supposed to start raining soon, but I hope this weather holds through the next week. You know… Midterms…"

Yosuke groaned. "You _had_ to go and bring that up… I don't wanna think about it."

"You mean you guys haven't started studying yet?" Aika asked.

"Why, have you?" Yosuke shot back. Aika stared downward, wrapping her hands around herself self-consciously. "Shit, sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I-I'm just a little frustrated, I guess."

"Wow, Yosuke," Chie said flatly. "You wouldn't be _this_ apologetic if you got the same reaction out of _me_."

"I refuse to dignify that with a response," Yosuke responded in an equally flat tone.

Chie sighed. "I wish we had Yukiko's gift for studying…" she grumbled.

"I could help you study, if you want," Aika volunteered. "I-I mean, I've never really gotten the top score before, but I'm always somewhere in the top ten."

"Yeah, and Yukiko tops every exam!" Chie said. "Let's all study together!"

"Hey, maybe I should ask Yukiko for some private lessons," Yosuke said suddenly.

"P-Private lessons?" Yukiko repeated incredulously, before walking over and slapping him.

"Ow…" Yosuke groaned. "What was that for? I'm just asking you to help me study…"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Yukiko backtracked immediately. "You were talking about _studying_… I thought it might've been an off-color joke. Our inn has had some strange guests lately…"

"If you thought it was a joke, then just shrug it off!" Yosuke cried indignantly.

"Sorry," Yukiko apologized. "My hand moved without thinking."

"Are you okay, Yosuke-kun?" Aika asked a little worriedly.

"Thanks a lot, Chie, for bringing up studying," Yosuke grumbled.

"What did I do?" Chie retorted. "You're the one who made it sound creepy and wrong! 'Private lessons,' huh?" Aika sighed as the two of them dissolved into yet another argument. _Of course_ Yosuke was fine.

"Um…" Yukiko said to Aika, her smile vanishing. "I should start heading home."

"Bye, Yukiko-san," Aika said quietly.

* * *

On Sunday night, Aika found Nanako sitting by the table, looking forlorn. "Nanako? Is something wrong?"

Nanako sighed heavily. "I made flowers at school, yesterday," she said. "They said today is 'Mother's Day'." Aika remembered; she'd called her own mother that morning after all. "My teacher told us that's a day when you give your mom flowers." It was only now that Aika noticed the three paper flowers sitting on the table in front of her. "I don't have a mom, so I don't know what to do with these flowers."

"You _can_ give them to her," Aika said gently.

"Oh, you mean the family altar?" Nanako asked. "Dad always puts food there. He said it gets to Mom in heaven. Do you think my flowers will get to her too?"

Aika smiled. "Of course!"

"I did a really good job on mine," Nanako said. "My teacher said they were really pretty too. Oh!" She took one of the flowers and handed it to Aika. "This is for you, Big Sis."

"Thank you, Nanako," Aika said, taking the origami flower from her. "Hey, can you teach me how to make these? I want to make one for Auntie too."

"Sure!" And, in no time at all, they finished and headed over to the family altar. "Hi, Mommy," Nanako said, waving and smiling at the altar. "Um… Happy Mother's Day! These are for you." She put the flowers down on the altar.

"It's getting late," Aika said quietly. "Why don't you get ready for bed?"

"Okay!" Nanako said, nodding happily as she rushed upstairs.

Aika knelt before the altar, placing the flower she had made next to Nanako's. "Hi, Auntie," she said quietly. "Um… I…" She really didn't know why she had to start crying, but tears were already streaming down her face before she could stop them, and she bit her lower lip to muffle her near uncontrollable sobs. It wasn't as if she suddenly remembered any special times she'd shared with her late aunt, or as if anything Nanako said had set her off in any way. Instead, all she could think of was an exchange she had with her own mother shortly after the incident.

_ "Why can't we go to the funeral?"_

_ "There's too much work, sweetie. We can always go visit your uncle and Nanako-chan later."_

_ "But we _won't_."_

_ "Aika, don't be like that."_

_ "She was Dad's sister! We _have_ to go!"_

_ "I know you were really close to her, Aika, but the timing isn't right—"_

_ "What timing? It's a funeral! If you and Dad can't go, then I will! Please, Mom!"_

_ "I can't believe you're being so selfish right now, Aika. Can't you see that your father and I have too much work for us to take time off?"_

_ "But—"_

_ "This discussion is over."_

Something soft was being pressed into her hands, and Nanako kneeled before her, her face deceptively blank. "I-I'm sorry," Aika said, furiously drying her eyes. "She was _your_ mom, but I—"

"She was your aunt, too," Nanako said quietly. Whatever it was she was trying to give Aika before, she held up now – the stuffed bunny Uncle had given her for Children's Day. "If you cry, Mr. Bun Bun will laugh."

Aika really didn't know what she was doing anymore. Now, she was hugging Nanako so tightly, she was sure she was crushing the smaller girl, but then Nanako hugged her back, and the only things that ruined the moment were Mr. Bun Bun squished awkwardly between them and the surge of power indicating another leveled up Social Link.

* * *

"Finally!" Yosuke cheered after the last midterm finally ended. "What a load off! I bet every student feels like this after exams are over!"

"Hey, quiet down!" Chie snapped before turning to Yukiko. "So what did you write for number seven? The one about what 'that' referred to in the sentence."

"I put 'her sorrowful expression'," Yukiko said.

"Oh crap, then I got it wrong!" Chie moaned. "I put, 'the rice cakes on top of the table'…"

"Rice cakes?" Yukiko echoed. "Wait, was that what the story was about?"

"I don't think so…" Aika said slowly.

"All right, I'm giving up on composition," Chie said. "I'm gonna bet it all on geography! Hey Aika, what did you choose for the tallest mountain in the solar system?"

"Olympus Mons, I think," Aika answered.

"Oh, I put that one too," Yukiko interjected.

"Oh, seriously?" Chie screeched. "I chose the wrong one…"

"It's okay, Chie," Aika said. "You probably didn't do _that _badly."

"Nope," Chie said flatly. "I failed. I'm going to spend the rest of my days living in Yukiko's amazing shadow. And then one day, I'm gonna drunk dial a hitman to kill her."

"You know how I said it was nice that you two were a lot closer now?" Yosuke asked. "I take that back. It's weird, though. I can kind of picture Yukiko-san doing that a lot more than I can picture you. Something kind of like…" He grinned evilly as he did his best Yukiko impression. "_You still don't get it? You're the one I want to kill, Chi-e!_" His mock-Yukiko laugh was abruptly cut off when Yukiko slapped him. "Ow! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Hey, did you hear?" Aika overheard someone else say. "A TV station's filming here in town."

"They're probably doing more stuff about that hanging corpse case," another voice deadpanned.

"No, it's not that!" the first student said. "You know the highway nearby? They're gonna cover those biker gangs that hang out around there. A friend of mine goes to the biker meetings sometimes. I heard it from him."

"Dude, what are you doing hanging out with a guy in a biker gang?"

"Biker gang?" Yukiko whispered.

"Oh yeah," Chie said. "They raise a ruckus from time to time. I guess your place is too far away to hear 'em."

"We live right by the road," Yosuke said. "That noise can drive you insane."

"I hear some guys at this school are part of it too," Chie said.

"Yeah, I've heard that there's a first year here who's a total hellraiser," Yosuke said. "One of the guys working at Junes said the dude's been a legend ever since middle school. Although… was he in a biker gang?"

"D-Did you say he was a legend?" Yukiko asked, a wide smile on her face.

"Uh, it's not what you think, Yukiko…" Chie said.

* * *

"NO! MY CABBAGES!" The distinctly familiar voice that screamed that cracked a little at the end, and Aika resisted the serious urge to laugh.

"Adachi-san, would you like to come over for dinner?" she asked instead.

"Uh…" the young detective floundered. "That's okay, Aika-chan. I have to head back to work soon anyway, or your uncle will filet me."

"I'm making cabbage."

"Deal!"

And that was how Tohru Adachi ended up eating dinner with the Dojimas that night (sans Ryotaro Dojima). "Hey, you're a really good cook, Aika-chan!"

"Thank you," Aika said, smiling.

"I'm gonna go upstairs," Nanako said in an even tone, piling her dishes into the sink and walking away.

Aika exhaled slowly, and she couldn't deny that she felt at least a little nervous. Adachi was the detective who (mistakenly) arrested her before. Sure, he probably wasn't going to do the same now, but… "Aika-chan? I'm sorry about accidentally arresting you on your first week here."

Was she really that obvious? "Um… It's okay. Really. It was a long time ago."

Adachi sighed. "This case really does have everyone on their toes," he grumbled. "The higher-ups don't know what to do. They keep changing procedure on the fly…" Aika stared downward. Was that why Uncle came home late so many nights? "Ah, sorry, Aika-chan. I hope I'm not making you too nervous."

"You're not," Aika assured him.

"Yeesh, it sucks that you have all this to deal with when you just moved here," Adachi continued. "First that announcer shows up dead on your first day here, then that high school student dies and you get blamed for it, then that Amagi girl goes missing…"

"Huh?"

"Oh crap, I wasn't supposed to say anything about that!" Adachi sighed. "Uh… she's fine now, you know. They found her a few weeks ago."

"I know. She was at school."

"Hey, you're pretty good friends with her, aren't you? And that Junes boy too. That's… interesting. Dojima-san always said you were kind of a loner."

Aika really didn't want to be having this conversation with Adachi, of all people. She hadn't even had this conversation with Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko, for crying out loud. "People can change," she said blandly.

"Uh… sorry, Aika-chan. I must be coming off as a colossal dick right about now."

"No, don't worry," Aika said. "It's… It's fine."

Adachi smiled and nodded. "Good." And then…

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Moon Arcanum…_

Aika kept her face deceptively blank. If more Social Links were going to form, she would have to make it as inconspicuous as possible, especially since she wasn't doing such a good job so far. "I should get going," Adachi said. "Thanks for dinner, Aika-chan!"

* * *

"Young men, recklessly riding their motorcycles, disturbing the peace of a quiet rural town," said the narrator on TV. "Our special report took a turn for the violent when one of the apparent leaders attacked the camera crew!"

A boy with bleached hair and a blurred face appeared on the screen. "The hell are you punks doing here?" he yelled. "This ain't a show! Get bent!"

Uncle sighed irritably. "Still up to the same old tricks…?"

"Do you know him, Dad?" Nanako asked.

"Hmm…" Uncle said slowly. "Well, I know him through work. His name's Kanji Tatsumi… He's quite a handful. He's been crushing biker gangs in the area since middle school. But I thought he got into high school and started attending class…"

"Kanji… Tatsumi…" Aika said slowly.

"Man, that blur sure is pointless," Uncle complained. "It's completely obvious who it is. The guy's family runs a historic textile shop."

"Seriously?" Aika asked. "A _textile_ shop?"

"Hard to believe when you see a kid like this, huh?" Uncle retorted. "Anyway, I think what happened was, he crushed the local bikers all by himself because the noise kept his mother up at night."

"That's… sweet, I guess," Aika said.

"It's a nice gesture, but he's way too violent," Uncle said. "At this rate, his mother'll have to apologize again."

"I'd crush biker gangs for you, Uncle," Aika said teasingly. "They'd get no mercy whatsoever."

Uncle groaned. "_Please_ don't tell me you're turning into a mini-Masami. Just stay a mini-Fuuji like always."

* * *

The next night, it rained for the first time in weeks, and Aika sat with her back propped up against the table, staring at the TV with her glasses perched on her nose. Sure enough, a fuzzy image appeared on the screen – much too indistinct for Aika to tell who it was. But it definitely looked like a man.

Yosuke called her almost immediately. "So what do you think?" he asked as soon as she answered the phone. "That was a guy, right?"

"So much for the killer targeting women…" Aika deadpanned.

"Hey, that's a good thing!" Yosuke refuted. "That means you and Chie aren't as likely to be targets!" He groaned. "I really wish we could tell what he looked like…"

"So are we meeting tomorrow?"

"Duh. Anyways, good night!"

* * *

They met at the food court of Junes the next day, and Yosuke cleared his throat dramatically. "We will now hold a meeting on our investigation of the serial kidnapping-slash-murder case here in Inaba," he said.

"Oh, does that make this place our special headquarters?" Yukiko asked excitedly.

"Yes!" Yosuke replied enthusiastically. "Exactly! Nicely put, Yukiko."

"Special headquarters, huh?" Chie echoed. "That _does_ have a nice ring to it…"

"So about what was on the Midnight Channel last night," Aika said. "Could anyone tell who it was?"

"It was a guy, right?" Chie asked. "He looked like a high schooler."

"So _that's_ how I looked on TV…" Yukiko said quietly to herself.

"So one good thing that's come out of this is that it's not _only _females connected to the first case being targeted," Yosuke said.

"How exactly is that a good thing?" Chie demanded. "We're back to square one!"

"Well _excuse me_ for worrying about you and Aika getting shoved into TVs because of who you associate with!" Yosuke shot back.

"Even though our theory wasn't exactly right, it's still progress," Aika said helpfully.

"In any case, the image on the Midnight Channel changed after I was kidnapped, right?" Yukiko interjected.

"Yeah, the screen got clear all of a sudden, and the program looked like some low-budget TV show," Yosuke answered.

"And by then, it was the Yukiko of _that world_ that we saw," Aika said. "Her Shadow acted the same way."

"But last night, we couldn't clearly see whoever it was," Yukiko protested. "Could that mean… he isn't inside the TV yet?"

"Then he's safe for now!" Chie gasped.

"And if we can figure out who he is, we can prevent him from being taken!" Aika said excitedly.

"And we might even catch the killer in the bargain!" Yosuke finished. Suddenly, his face fell, and he sighed. "But we need to know who the latest Midnight Channel star is…"

Chie cleared her throat. "If my deductions are correct… Though the image was hard to make out, and we can't say for sure who it was, it was definitely a young male. Since we cannot identify the person at this time, we have no choice but to wait and see what happens!"

"But what if he really _is_ kidnapped?" Aika asked.

"Then we just go in and rescue him like always," Yosuke said.

Without warning, Yukiko dissolved into a fit of giggles. "I'm sorry…" she choked. "But… Chie, you're so funny!"

"So this is how Yukiko really is, huh?" Yosuke asked. "Who'd have thought…"

"Not again…" Chie groaned. "By the way, about that guy we saw? I get the feeling I've seen him before. Pretty recently, too…"

"Oh, you too?" Yosuke asked. "Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing since last night."

"Why were your Midnight Channels so much clearer than mine?" Aika almost whined.

Yukiko giggled, and Chie growled in frustration. "When are you gonna stop that, you crazy hyena?"

This only made Yukiko laugh harder. "That's a good one, Chie!"

* * *

That night, the Midnight Channel was a bit clearer. The same figure appeared, punching at something. _He_ does_ look familiar…_ Aika gasped as the answer came to you. Yosuke called at right that moment. "It's that guy from the biker gang!" she said as soon as she picked up.

"Huh?" Yosuke asked.

"No, not from the biker gang…" Aika amended. "The guy who beat up the biker gangs because they kept his mother up at night!"

"Wait, you mean Kanji Tatsumi?"

"Oh, _that_ was his name…"

"I _knew_ I saw him somewhere! He was on that special news report on TV!" He sighed. "Just let me handle this one alone. I mean, that's one scary dude. He was even yelling at the camera to 'Get bent!'… "

"It's too dangerous to go alone, Yosuke-kun…" Aika said quietly.

"Yeah, but…" Yosuke protested weakly.

"We'll be _fine_. We can handle ourselves."

"But that's _inside_ the TV!" Yosuke protested. "If we're gonna warn him that he might get kidnapped, it'll be _outside_!" Aika's heart felt warm and fluttery at Yosuke's blatant concern for her. "All right. Just… be careful, okay? Let me deal with him – you just stay back."

"If it'll make you feel any better," Aika said simply.

* * *

Tatsumi Textiles reminded Aika of one of the quilts her aunt had made – bright colors, many different patterns that looked like they would clash but somehow came together to form a cohesive whole… Not to mention, it smelled faintly of incense, and Aika could see herself coming back, if only for the atmosphere. "It's all on you if things get rough, Yosuke," Chie whispered to the only male of their group.

A middle-aged woman sat talking to a young boy. "Hello," Yukiko said pleasantly.

"Ah, Yuki-chan," the woman greeted warmly. "It's so nice to see you."

"Well then, if you'll excuse me, Ma'am," the boy said. The boy was rather slender and only slightly taller than Aika – which was saying a lot. He wore a blue coat and a blue hat, and Aika couldn't help but think of those detectives on Phoenix Ranger Featherman R.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help more," the woman apologized.

"It's all right," the boy said in a low voice. "You've given me plenty to think about. Thank you." The boy nodded once at the group before leaving.

"What's up with him?" Yosuke whispered. "Weirdo…"

"No idea," Chie said flatly. "Never seen him before."

"Yuki-chan, you're as lovely as always," the shop owner said. "Your features are starting to remind me of your mother when she was young. How can I help you today? Are you out shopping with your friends?"

"Oh, uh…" Yukiko said. "Actually…"

"Hey, this scarf," Chie said from a little ways away. "I've seen this somewhere before…"

"Hmm?" Aika asked, walking over. "It's…"

"You're right," Yosuke said. "Where was that?"

"Oh, it was that place!" Chie gasped. "Inside the TV!"

"That's right!" Yosuke agreed. "The room with those faceless posters! Then… it's that announcer's…"

"Are you acquaintances of Ms. Yamano?" the shop owner asked.

"Uh… kinda…" Yosuke replied. "Um, did Ms. Yamano happen to have a scarf like this?"

"Yes, it was a special order she placed," the shop owner said. "She initially ordered a pair, but in the end, she said she only wanted the women's scarf. It left us with no choice but to sell this one separately."

"So there _is_ a connection to the first case…" Aika whispered.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "Hello! Delivery for the Tatsumis!"

"I'll be right there," the shop owner called. "I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me."

"Oh, it's okay," Chie said. "We should get going."

"I'll come again, Ma'am," Yukiko said.

"Well then, please say hello to your mother for me," the shop owner replied.

* * *

"It's just a scarf!" Yosuke ranted outside. "Would the killer really target someone because of that?"

"Hey, it's Kanji-kun!" Yukiko gasped.

"Quick, hide!" Yosuke hissed as the two ran for cover.

It was a little strange, seeing Kanji Tatsumi in person. Aika peered out from behind Yosuke curiously. The tall first year was talking to that boy from the store, only he seemed a lot less… angry, somehow. "You're not fooling anyone, you know," Chie deadpanned.

"Shh!" Yosuke hissed. "I can't hear what they're saying!"

"T-Tomorrow's fine with me," Aika heard Kanji say. "Huh? School? 'Course I'm going to school…"

"Then I'll meet you at the gates after school tomorrow," the boy said.

"Is it a date?" Aika whispered.

"D-Did he just say he was interested?" Kanji asked after the boy walked away. "He's a guy… and I'm a guy… But… He's interested in me…?"

"It _is_ a date!" Aika said triumphantly.

"Quiet!" Chie hissed.

Kanji turned his attention to the group, and Aika hid fully behind Yosuke. "What the hell are you pricks looking at?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Aika shrieked.

"Come on!" Yosuke shouted. Without warning, he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him as he ran, Yukiko and Chie close behind them.

* * *

"That scared the hell out of me!" Chie ranted. "He's even worse in person than on TV…"

"The one on TV last night was definitely Kanji-kun," Yukiko said.

"Yeah, and I just realized something," Yosuke said breathlessly. "Remember the common points we were talking about? His mom fits the pattern. She's a woman, and she knew Ms. Yamano. But it was her son who appeared on TV… what does that mean?"

"It's probably Kanji-kun who's the target," Aika said. "Even though his mom fits the pattern more, he was the one who appeared on the Midnight Channel." She sighed. "Then again, I never really saw the Midnight Channel last time until Yukiko's Shadow showed up, so I'm not really sure."

"Maybe it's similar to my case!" Yukiko gasped. "If you think about it, my mother fit the profile more than I did. She was the one who dealt directly with Ms. Yamano… but I was the one who was targeted."

"So it's the kids that are targeted?" Yosuke moaned. "Damn it, that means Aika might be targeted later too! Or Nanako-chan!"

"But if that's true, then the killer's motive makes no sense at all," Chie pointed out. "It'd have nothing to do with silencing witnesses or revenge or anything."

"Maybe we're on the wrong track…" Aika said quietly. "What if the first case didn't have anything to do with grudges or revenge either?"

"Then that's…" Yosuke said, before groaning in frustration. "I'm totally lost!" Aika felt a particularly large headache coming on; she couldn't agree more.

"Why don't we just go ask Kanji himself?" Chie suggested.

"Absolutely not!" Yosuke yelled. "What, are you crazy? Did you _see_ how scary he was?"

"He was making plans with that boy," Aika said. "Something about meeting up at school."

"I heard he's been skipping school since the beginning of the school year," Chie said. "It's suspicious, all right. There's something funny going on here… I can sense it."

"'Sense'?" Yosuke repeated. "You sound like Teddie… And I never agreed to this!"

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Yukiko said. "We'll stick together, just in case."

* * *

"Has the target arrived?" Chie whispered the next day after school.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Yosuke replied. "Visual ID confirmed! Target arrived in-zone near the end of his mess break, with mother-issued rations in hand. Current status: in the bathroom, fixing his hair. The target was acting nervous. I left my position before he had a chance to pick on me!"

"I wonder what kind of plans they made," Yukiko said. "It didn't seem like he knew that boy very well."

"It _is_ a date," Aika whispered mischievously.

"Quiet!" Chie hissed. "He's here!"

Sure enough, two boys approached each other – Kanji Tatsumi, and the smaller, more slender boy from the day before. "I didn't keep you waiting, I hope?" the smaller boy asked.

"N-No, I just got here too," Kanji replied.

When they left, Aika let out a giggle. "It's _definitely_ a date."

"Would you stop saying that?" Chie groaned. "Come on! We gotta hurry after them, or we'll lose them!"

"Okay, then let's split up into two groups," Yosuke suggested. "One team will follow Kanji, and the other will stake out at the shop. Aika, you handle the shop."

"Why?" the shorter girl retorted.

"Because you're a lot less likely to run into Kanji there!" Yosuke said. "Come to think of it, Yukiko, you should go with Aika."

"What, so you want Kanji to beat _me_ up, huh?" Chie demanded. "Is that it?"

"Just shut up and let's go already!" Yosuke yelled. "They're getting out of sight!"

* * *

"Everything seems fine at the shop," Yukiko said, unscrewing the cap on her drink. "I hope it stays that way…"

"I hope the culprit doesn't show up here…" Aika mumbled.

"That would be pretty scary…" Yukiko agreed. An awkward silence lapsed between them, though it wasn't nearly as profound as any other awkward silence Aika had faced before coming to Inaba. "Um… Aika… I'm really sorry about what my Shadow said… back when you all rescued me."

"H-Huh?" Aika stammered. "Oh, um… Th-That's okay. Really."

"But I said some really horrible things…"

"It wasn't you."

"No, it _was_. Or… a part of me, at least." Yukiko sighed and stared upward. "I guess… I _am_ a little jealous of you. You've probably been everywhere in Japan, huh?"

"It's not as great as it sounds." The words left Aika's mouth before she could stop them. "I-I mean…" She felt her face heat up, accompanied by a profound sense of guilt.

"It's okay," Yukiko said gently. "You can tell me."

Aika sighed. "I… I've never lived in one place for longer than a year. At least, from what I can still remember clearly. My parents have had to move around so much because of their job, and they always took me with them. My… My aunt Chisato always told them that I could stay here in Inaba with her while they travelled, but…"

"Did you want to?" Yukiko asked.

"N-Not really…" Aika admitted. "I mean, even now, it's kind of hard, because my parents aren't here with me. But I love it here, and they… don't…"

"That does sound hard," Yukiko conceded, "but I'd still love to have your life. You must have seen so many new places, met so many interesting people… it all sounds so _wonderful_, no matter how you put it."

"I'd be more than happy to swap with you anytime, Yukiko." When Yukiko giggled, the voice in Aika's head struck again.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Priestess Arcanum…_

"We should exchange contact information," Yukiko suggested. "While we're not investigating, we should _definitely_ hang out."

Aika laughed and nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"So what was your favorite, among all the places you've lived? Not counting Inaba, of course."

"Well, there's this little town, kind of near the beach…"

* * *

Yosuke and Chie hid behind a tree, with Chie crouched on the ground and Yosuke standing directly behind her. "Man, this is weird…" Chie grumbled.

"Yeah, we _definitely_ stand out," Yosuke agreed.

"No, I mean _them_!" Chie shot back, gesturing wildly toward Kanji and the strange boy from before. "I get this weird feeling about them…"

"What, you don't think they're seriously on a date, do you?" Yosuke asked. "I mean, two guys?"

"I dunno… Hey, how do you think Aika and Yukiko are doing?"

"I'd like to think they're bonding over girly things," Yosuke said. "Or maybe ranting to each other about their lives and trying to swap with each other."

"So you seem to know a lot about _Aika-chan_, huh?" Chie teased.

"Wh-What? I don't know what you're—"

"I heard some guy in class 2-3 saying that he saw you and Aika _canoodling _at the hill overlooking town."

"Wh-What? We weren't _canoodling_! We were just talking!"

"And cuddling too, apparently."

"What? Okay, yeah, we sort of hugged each other, but that's so not the point!"

"The hell are you two doing?" Chie shrieked when Kanji stormed toward them, his face contorted into a scowl.

"Oh, well," Yosuke stammered. "You see… We're… uh… We're two crazy lovebirds!"

"What do you mean, bird?" Chie asked angrily.

"Play along, birdbrain!" Yosuke shot back.

Kanji stepped dangerously towards them. "Didn't I see you guys yesterday?"

Yosuke laughed nervously. "C-C'mon, it just so happened that we were walking behind you guys. Pure coincidence! Hey! Our houses are just over that way, so we'll be going now…"

"Um… look," Chie said nervously. "We weren't planning on getting in you guys' way, and it's really cute that you guys are on a date and alll…"

"D-Date?" Kanji repeated.

"Why can't you keep your big mouth shut?" Yosuke yelled.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you partner up with _Aika_ next time?" Chie shot back.

But despite the argument, they both took off running in the same direction. "Wait, dammit!" Kanji yelled as he ran behind them. "Th-This ain't what you think! Y-You got it all wrong! Hey, are you guys listening to me? It seriously ain't like that!"

* * *

Chie and Yosuke stood before Aika and Yukiko with their heads bowed. "We regret to inform…" Chie said, "… that our mission failed."

"There was nowhere to hide," Yosuke said nervously.

"Well…" Yukiko said. "Let's wait here a little longer. Maybe Kanji-kun will come home."

"Y-Yeah…" Yosuke said.

"Huh? What're you guys doing here?" And Kanji was _so_ not behind them right now. "You're those stupid lovebirds I just saw!"

"We're not a couple!" Chie yelled.

"Why are you assholes followin' me around?" Kanji demanded. "Dammit, what the hell's goin' on?" He sighed. "I ain't sayin' this is you guys' fault… But… Dammit!"

There was something seriously wrong with Aika, if the sudden surge of boldness she felt was any indication. She stepped toward Kanji, staring up at him in concern. "Is everything okay?" she asked. "If… If there's anything strange going on, please tell us…"

"Huh?" Kanji asked. "'Strange'? You saying that I'm strange?"

"N-No, I'm not—" Aika said quickly.

"You shitheads better get the hell out of my face, or I'm taking you down!" Kanji roared.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Aika mumbled.

"I look like I'm joking?" Kanji yelled, his voice cracking a bit.

When Kanji raised his fist threateningly in the air, Aika shrieked and covered her face with both hands. "Come on!" Yosuke yelled, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her after him as he ran. They didn't stop running until they were well away from the shopping district, though Yosuke still refused to release Aika's arm. "Damn it, this is _exactly_ what I was afraid of!"

"But everything's okay," Aika pointed out. "I mean, he's here, right? He's safe."

"It's already been a few days since he appeared on the Midnight Channel, though," Yukiko said. "We can't let our guard down. I think we should come back tomorrow and check up on him."

Chie sighed. "Let's go home. I'm wiped."

* * *

Aika's ringing cell phone woke her, and she jumped up in surprise. She seemed to have fallen asleep while waiting for the Midnight Channel to come on. Had she missed it again? Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she glanced over at her alarm clock, sighing in relief when she noticed that it was just a few minutes before midnight. "H-Hello?" she said when she answered the phone.

"Hi, it's Yukiko. Sorry to call so late."

"That's okay," Aika said, yawning.

"Kanji-kun seems to be missing!" Yukiko said in a panicked voice.

"Wh-What?" Aika gasped. She slapped her cheeks a few times to wake herself up faster.

"I had some calls to make for the inn, so I called the textile shop as well," Yukiko explained. "When I spoke to Kanji-kun's mother… she told me that he left the house and hasn't returned since. She _did _say that this happens all the time, but…"

"I-I don't know…" Aika said. "It's too much of a coincidence."

"I agree," Yukiko said. "I guess all we can do is check the Midnight Channel. It should be on soon, so I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay," Aika said. "Bye, Yukiko." Just as she hung up the phone, the TV whirred to life, revealing a sharp, clear image. "Oh no…"

Kanji appeared on the screen, shirtless, with his face flushed red. "Hel-_lo_, dear viewers!" he said in a smooth voice. "It's time for 'Bad, Bad Bathhouse'!" He sounded completely different from how he was earlier that day – nothing like the scary, perpetually angry first year she'd met. "Tonight, I'll introduce a _superb_ sight for those searching for sublime love that surpasses the separation of the sexes!"

"I _knew_ it was a date!" Aika whispered triumphantly.

"I'm your host, Kanji Tatsumi, serving you this scandalously special sneak-in report! Goodness gracious, just imagine the things that might happen to me in there! Ooh! Well then, let's get this show on the road! Tootaloo!" He sauntered away from the camera as the image faded, reverting the TV screen back to its blank state.

Aika's phone rang suddenly. "H-Hey, what the—" Yosuke stammered. "I-I mean…"

"I told you it was a date," she deadpanned.

"W-Well… yeah, I see that _now_! B-But… Damn it, it's just what we were afraid of…"

"Calm down," Aika said bluntly. "It's just like you said – we just go in and bring him out like we did with Yukiko."

"But if only we'd held our ground and stayed there a little longer…" Yosuke said.

"There's nothing we can do now," Aika said calmly. "We just have to rescue him."

Yosuke exhaled sharply. "You're right. You're right. W-We'll just talk about this tomorrow."

"Of course."

"Good night, and… be careful."

Aika sighed; what was she going to do with him. "Good night, Yosuke-kun."

That night, her dreams were filled with tall, hulking first years dragging her into steamy bathhouses, and giant, frog-shaped Shadows trying to eat her.

* * *

"Given the pattern so far, Kanji's already inside the TV," Yosuke sighed the next day after school.

"I wonder what the Midnight Channel really is…" Yukiko mused.

"Well, it's your Shadows that do them, so that's probably why you don't remember anything about yours, Yukiko," Aika said.

"At first, I thought it was one of those 'paranormal' things, but when I gave it a try, it was real," Chie said. "Turns out it's actually connected to another world…"

"If there's a rumor going around, then that means a bunch of people are watching it," Yosuke pointed out.

"How did the rumor go?" Yukiko asked. "If you stare into a turned off TV on a rainy night…"

"… you'll see your soulmate…" Aika finished.

"No one in their right mind would try something that ridiculous, don't you think?" Yosuke asked. "Unless someone urged them to, like with us."

"But it really _does_ work," Aika said. "And not just once."

"If this rumor spreads around and everyone starts watching the Midnight Channel…" Yosuke said.

"… it could cause a huge panic…" Chie finished.

"If it really is the Shadows creating everything we see, then it's not random," Yosuke said. "It's specifically related to whoever goes missing."

"Um, this might be a little off subject, but…" Yukiko piped up. "The culprit is probably watching the shows that come on, right?"

"No doubt," Chie grumbled. "He's probably sitting back and enjoying—" She gasped suddenly. "Wait a sec… I bet he _is_ enjoying it! He's probably laughing his head off watching that 'show' that comes on after he throws people into the TV!"

"What a creep…" Aika mumbled.

"Wait, so if people saw Yukiko's show, do you think people were watching what happened to me too?" Chie screeched. "Oh, that is _it_! That killer is dead meat! I'm gonna leave footprints all over his face! Guys! First we save Kanji! Then we crush the killer! Finally, we crush the killer and send him to hell! Got it?" Aika felt a surge of power as she stood up and sat down on top of her desk.

Yukiko snorted. "Ch-Chie, those last two were the same thing…"

"Uh, I know…" Chie grumbled.

* * *

"Teddie, what's wrong?" Aika asked concernedly when they landed in the TV world. "Are you not feeling well?"

Teddie groaned. "I dunno… I know there's someone here, but I sniff and I sniff, but I still can't tell where the smell comes from!"

"Aren't you thinking too much about too many things?" Yosuke suggested. "I mean, last time you were wondering about who you really are and how long you've been here. Your head's empty to begin with, dude. Don't stress out over stuff too much."

"You're right…" Teddie said glumly.

"Um… Is there anything we can do to help?" Aika asked. "We really need your help to find Kanji-kun. Otherwise…"

Teddie's face lit up. "I know what might help! You should give me a clue about this Kanji person! It's just a feeling I have. I think I could concentrate better with it."

"So something about him… that could help you find him?" Aika echoed. "Yukiko, didn't you say you were friends with him?"

"Uh, not really," Yukiko said. "I don't know that much about him. Um… his father passed away a few years ago, so he just lives with his mother… his family runs a textile shop…"

"Um…" Aika piped up. "My uncle said that he once beat up all these biker gangs because they kept his mother up at night. A-And he might like that one boy we keep seeing around in town."

Chie groaned. "Would you drop the date thing already?"

"All right, let me try!" Teddie said enthusiastically. "Hmm… Oh! I think I found something! It feels like our target! Is this it? Follow me!"

* * *

Aika wiped sweat off her forehead, cursing the TV world's awful mugginess. "So this is the 'bad, bad bathhouse'…"

"Is it just me, or does the fog here seem kind of different?" Chie asked.

"My glasses are fogging up," Yukiko complained.

Yosuke groaned. "Of all places, why a _bathhouse_?"

"C'mere, pussycat…" a deep, slightly distorted voice said sensually. "Oh… Such well-defined pecs… There's no need to be scared… Now, just relax…"

Aika made a noise oddly reminiscent of a dying whale and promptly latched onto Yosuke's arm. "Aoandon's terrified of what Kanji-kun will do to her," she said flatly.

"Come on, Aika…" Chie said. "If he really is gay, then it's Yosuke who's in trouble. You, me, and Yukiko will be _fine_."

"I-I don't wanna go!" Yosuke yelped.

* * *

"He's behind this door!" Teddie announced. "I can smell him!"

"It's all on you, Yosuke!" Chie said.

"Better yet, don't panic," Yukiko advised. "I mean, he seems to be more interested in boys than girls, and you're the only boy here."

"No pressure, or anything," Aika finished.

"I hate you…" Yosuke moaned.

"Okay, let's go!" Chie said. With a screech, she kicked the door open.

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko called.

Sure enough, there were two Kanjis there – one in a school uniform, and the other cloaked in a shadowy aura, with a tiny towel wrapped around its waist. "I-I…" the real Kanji said quietly.

"Oh, come now, enough with the charade," Kanji's Shadow said. "Isn't it awful to deceive people? To deceive yourself? What's so bad about doing what I want to do?"

"That has nothin' to do with it…" Kanji said, but his voice lacked the strength and vigor it possessed before.

"I'm what you really want, aren't I?" the Shadow taunted.

"Hell no!" Kanji yelled.

"Oh, how I _hate_ girls…" the Shadow moaned. "So arrogant and self-centered! They cry if you get angry, they gossip behind your back, they spread nasty lies… They look at me like some… some disgusting _thing_ and say that _I'm_ a weirdo! Laughing at me, all the while! 'You like to sew? What a queer!' 'Painting is so not you.' 'But you're a guy!' 'You don't act like a guy…' 'Why aren't you manly?'"

"This… doesn't look like it's going to end so well," Aika said.

"You said it," Chie retorted.

"What does it mean to be 'a guy'?" the Shadow ranted. "What does it mean to be 'manly'? Girls are so scary…"

"I-I'm sorry…" Yukiko said quietly.

"I ain't scared of 'em!" Kanji yelled at his Shadow.

"Men are much better…" the Shadow said in a low voice. "They'd never say those awful, degrading things. Yes, I vastly prefer men…"

"Hell with that!" Kanji shot back. "What makes you think you can say that shit with my face?"

"Why, you're me… and I'm you," the Shadow said. "You _do_ know that, don't you?"

"Here it comes," Aika said, clutching her rod tightly with both hands.

"No…" Kanji said, his voice wavering. "Nuh-uh! No way! There's no way in hell that you're me!"

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko yelled.

The Shadow laughed hysterically. "You're me, and there's no denying it!" it snarled. And then, Kanji's Shadow transformed into a large, hulking figure with bulging muscles, half black and half white, with its head submerged in a bed of roses and carrying two large golden objects that look suspiciously like the symbol for males. By the Shadow's feet were two smaller black and white figures, though they were still quite a bit larger than Yosuke.

"See?" Aika said. "Symbolic."

"Now's not the time for that!" Yosuke yelled, running in front of her, Chie, and Yukiko while brandishing his swords. "You think guys are so freakin' easy to deal with? You've got another thing coming!"

"I am a Shadow… the true self… I'm just being true to myself… and that's why… I'll get rid of anything in my way!"

"Are these… Kanji-kun's true feelings?" Yukiko gasped.

"This isn't really him!" Yosuke yelled. "It's just his emotions going haywire!"

"This has nothing to do with you guys anymore!" the Shadow bellowed. "Didn't I just say I'm gonna get rid of you?"

Aika flipped through her Persona cards. "Aoandon!" She swung her rod at the card that materialized in front of her. _Tarunda, Rakunda, Sukunda!_

"Go!" Chie yelled, kicking her own Persona's card, and the Shadow was blasted with ice.

"Where's Kanji-kun?" Yukiko asked as she summoned her Persona.

"He's unconscious!" Teddie answered from a little ways away. "Don't worry! I'll guard him!"

Through the confusion, one of the figures by the main Shadow approached Yosuke and leered at him. "Well hello there, handsome." Without warning, it bent down and scooped up Yosuke in its arms and hugged him tightly.

"H-Help!" Yosuke yelped.

"Let him go!" Aika yelled, waving her arm and struck her card with her rod. _Titania!_ "Persona! _Magaru! _There was a violent gust of wind, blowing back the two smaller Shadows, allowing Yosuke to drop to the ground.

"Ow!" the Shadow shrieked. "That hurt! This is why I hate girls!" The Shadow swung one of its golden weights down, and Aika flinched as it rapidly approached her.

Then, there was a clang, and the blow never came. Chie's Persona loomed before her, its spear raised up against the golden weight. "Watch it, Aika!" Chie snapped at her. But as she recalled her Persona, the Shadow slammed both weights down on the ground, and purple-tinted electricity sparked upwards. After that, all Aika could feel was pain as shockwaves ran through her body. The world swam beneath her feet, and she collapsed to her knees, struggling to stay conscious. All the while, the Shadow was laughing – if Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko were all right, they weren't doing anything to fight back.

"Is everyone okay?" Aika heard Teddie ask, as if from far away. Then…

"Get down!" Something slammed into Aika, and she toppled over, snapping her back into full consciousness. Kanji was there next to her, a swirl of emotions in his eyes. Aika gasped as she bolted upright, looking around to check if Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko were all right. Sure enough, they were there on the ground with her, groaning as they struggled to stand up.

Yosuke stood up first, favoring his left side. "You'll pay for that one!" Jiraiya lunged at Kanji's Shadow, attacking it with everything he had.

Yukiko stood up next, flicking her fan. "Come, Konohana Sakuya!" She hit her card with her fan, and her Persona materialized in front of her, engulfing the Shadow in flame.

Then, Chie stood up. "Let's go!" She kicked her Persona card, and the Shadow was encased in ice. "Finish it, Aika!"

Aika looked to Kanji, who refused to meet her gaze, and stood up shakily. Her entire body felt like one large bruise, but she still thanked every god she knew of that she spent so much time training, because there was _no_ way she could have even survived such a battle one month ago. She closed her eyes and smiled, shifting to Aoandon. _I need your help._ She struck her card with her rod and glared at the Shadow. _Megido! _"Persona!" Aoandon appeared in front of her, and in a flash of light, the Shadow went down. As soon as she recalled Aoandon, she turned her attention to Kanji. "Kanji-kun! Are you okay?"

The first year stood up slowly. "Dammit…" he muttered.

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko called.

"Wait!" Yosuke interjected. "Something's wrong!"

And then, the Shadow, which now looked like Kanji again, stood up. "No…" Aika whispered. "Don't tell me we have to fight it _again_!"

"H-He's still rejecting it!" Teddie whimpered.

"Well, I can't blame him with this many witnesses," Yosuke said.

"Such a passionate approach…" the Shadow taunted, and Aika clutched her rod tightly while willing her legs to stop shaking. "I think that you two would make _wonderful _boyfriends."

"Oh _hell_ no!" Chie yelled. "He did _not_ lump me with you, Yosuke!"

"I-I think he was talking about Teddie…" Yukiko said quietly.

"Enough… Stop…" Kanji said weakly. "What the hell are you blabbering about?"

"I don't care who…" the Shadow said. "Won't someone, anyone, please accept me?"

"We will!" Aika said quickly. "We—"

"Stop it!" Kanji cut her off.

"Accept me for who I am!" the Shadow yelled, glaring.

Everyone readied their weapons. "Those who can fight, get in the front with me!" Yosuke ordered. "Those who feel like they need to hang back, get behind me!" In the end, it was Aika and Chie in the back, and Yukiko and Yosuke in the front.

"I said stop it!" Kanji yelled. Without warning, he ran forward and punched his Shadow square in the jaw. "Tch. Can't believe something like this is inside me…"

"Kanji-kun…" Yukiko said.

"Yeah, I know," Kanji continued. "I've known all this time I had something like you! It ain't a matter of guys or chicks… I'm just scared shitless of being rejected. I'm a total pansy who tries to make everyone hate me."

Aika swallowed hard and lowered her weapon as she dragged her feet over to Kanji. "It's okay," she told him. "We all have sides we don't want the world to see… But whether we want to show them or not, we have to accept them for what they are."

Kanji grunted. "You make it sound like you got it all figured out…" Aika shrugged and smiled sheepishly at him, and Kanji turned to face his Shadow. "Come on… get up. Anyone who looks like me, I know they ain't so weak that they can't take a punch." The Shadow stood up slowly, but not menacingly, and Aika released a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "I already know that you're me. You're me… and I'm you, dammit!" The Shadow nodded once, and a Persona appeared in its place. When it disappeared, Kanji's body glowed blue.

Aika knew he was falling before even he did. "Kanji-kun!" Since she was the closest, he grabbed her for support, and she grabbed him to hold him upright in return. But he was too heavy, and they both crashed to the ground, Kanji partially on top of her.

"Okay, time to go," Yosuke said quickly.

* * *

"Kanji-kun…" Yukiko said in Junes, once they were all safely outside the TV. "Are you okay?"

"It's…" Kanji panted. "It's nothin'…" But then he swayed, and he looked like he was about to topple over, but he regained his balance and stayed sitting upright. "I feel great… It's like my mind's all cleared up…"

Yosuke grunted as he helped Kanji up. "Yeah, that tends to happen when you face your Shadow."

"Hey…" Kanji said slowly. "About what just happened…"

"Later," Aika said automatically. "We'll tell you later. Just rest for now."

"We'll be waiting for you at school," Chie added.

"School…?" Kanji echoed. "Sure, if I ever feel like going."

"I'll take this guy home," Yosuke volunteered. "If anyone asks, I'll just say I found him somewhere like this."

* * *

Aika could barely keep her eyes open during dinner that night, and she forced herself to eat quickly so she could go to bed early. "Oh, I forgot to tell you," Uncle said suddenly. "Remember that Kanji Tatsumi guy I told you about? You know, the one who went nuts on that news special?"

"What about him?" Aika asked, her voice deceptively calm.

"His family's shop called in to report him missing, but now he's been found," Uncle said. "I thought I'd let you know, since you go to the same high school."

"That's good to hear," Aika said tiredly.

"Hey, Aika… quick question. You're friends with Yukiko Amagi, right?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Why?"

"Does you go with her on errands, usually?"

"Sometimes. Why?" Aika _really_ didn't like the direction this conversation was taking.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just… some people have seen you around that textile shop lately, and it's not one that students normally visit. But since you hang out with that Amagi girl a lot, it's understandable that you'd be there on occasion." Aika _really_ didn't like lying to her uncle either. Then again, he wasn't outright asking her anything – he was just making assumptions. But that didn't do anything to ease the guilt. "Sorry. I'm not trying to interrogate you or anything. I know you wouldn't go looking for trouble, but… I just have to be sure that you're not in over your head."

"I'm fine, Uncle," Aika said quietly. "You don't have to worry."

"Okay," he replied, nodding.

Though the rest of dinner was relatively quiet, Aika's mind was in a whirl. Now that Kanji had faced his Shadow, he'd probably be joining the group. If Uncle got wind that she was hanging around Kanji, then he'd be suspicious – or worse, he'd disapprove – for sure. And by the time she finally unrolled her futon, though she was physically exhausted, she didn't fall asleep until almost two hours later.

* * *

**Social Links:**

The Fool (the Investigation Team): Level 3  
The Magician (Yosuke Hanamura): Level 3  
The Priestess (Yukiko Amagi): Level 1  
The Empress (Margaret): Level 2  
The Hierophant (Ryotaro Dojima): Level 2  
The Chariot (Chie Satonaka): Level 2  
The Justice (Nanako Dojima): Level 2  
The Hermit (Kaede the fox): Level 1  
The Sun (Fuuji and Masami Nakamura): Level 1

* * *

_And so, we've finally reached the end of yet another obnoxiously long chapter (and the end of the Kanji arc!). I've decided to write out a list of Social Links at the end of each chapter so it doesn't get too confusing (and please let me know if the Social Link list is faulty). And yay for Persona 2 references! For those of you that didn't catch them, Mr. Bun Bun is Maya's homemade stuffed bunny (now mass-produced!), and Amanda Winn Lee, who voices Yukiko, voices Ulala in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. So there's an Ulala quote in here. ("You still don't get it? You're the one I want to kill, Ma-ya!" Except adjusted to fit the situation. Um, spoiler alert?)_

_So Yosuke. His Social Link is a little weird, since it's not romantic (not yet, anyway), but not completely platonic either. So basically, in this, since he's pretty much the only guy in a group of girls (before Kanji joins up), he gets a bit… overprotective. It's more to do with his masculinity (chivalry and all that fun stuff) than actual concern for their safety (though that's pretty prominent too). _

_As you can probably see, Yukiko is a _lot_ more open with Aika than she was with Yu, mostly because Aika's a girl. And she and Aika really, really want each other's lives (for reasons explained in the previous chapter). Chie's well… Chie. And her Social Link is pretty much the same, sans romantic undertones._

_And Kanji's Shadow buildup/battle is exactly the same because it doesn't really have anything to do with anyone else besides Kanji himself. One thing that really bugs me about how people interpret Kanji's character is that it has absolutely _nothing_ to do with whether he's gay or straight. It has to everything to do with his need to be accepted, and how he doesn't exactly fit into society's gender roles. So because he likes girly things, and the girls he's interacted with are mostly psycho, he thinks he should ideally be attracted to men… who may not be all that great either. It's a very complicated situation that people don't usually do enough justice… so I really hope I do the great Kanji Tatsumi justice in this. On a slightly unrelated note, Troy Baker. The guy who voices Kanji. Expect a Final Fantasy XIII pun somewhere along the way (Troy Baker also voices Snow Villiers). And maybe a Persona 2 pun (Troy Baker also voices Eikichi Mishina)._

_So my portrayal of grief in this chapter, specifically, grieving for dead loved ones, stems mostly from personal experience. In my experience, grief has struck at the _randomest_ of times, and I tend to fixate on the weirdest things while thinking of the dead person. So I tried to portray that in this chapter. With Yosuke, he starts fixating on Saki's entrance exams, which she never got to take, almost in the she-had-her-whole-life-ahead-of-her way. With Aika, she breaks down completely randomly during Mother's Day for her aunt… who isn't her mother to begin with. All things considered, Chisato Dojima is kind of a fuzzy subject. You never really get a clear picture of when exactly she died. In this continuity, she died about three and a half years ago, when Nanako was too young to remember her, but Aika wasn't._

_So more differences between Uncle's interactions with Aika and Dojima's interactions with Yu. While Dojima was pretty suspicious of Yu from the beginning, and didn't seem to know him all that well, Uncle has literally seen Aika grow up, and pretty much treats her like a daughter. So he doesn't suspect her _at all_, and he trusts her a lot. Likewise, Aika treats him like a second dad. Also, his gift for Children's Day is based on what he knew she liked as a kid, primarily. In a nutshell, Uncle and Aika are _way_ closer than Dojima and Yu._

_So the fox's Social Link will be way different here. As opposed to "this person needs something NOW GO HELP HIM," Aika's relationship with the fox is a lot more personal. More Koromaru-esque. Also, I named the fox. It just makes it easier._

_So a good chunk of the level grinding happens off-screen… or off-page. But all the Social Links happen _on_-page. So in the chunk of time that spanned this chapter, Aika, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko went into the TV a _lot_. Look at it this way – they were horrendously underleveled when they faced Yukiko's Shadow, but somehow still won, so to make sure they didn't have to struggle so much for the next victim, they level-grinded their asses off. And the fight was _still_ hard, but not nearly as bad. Also, pretty much all of the Persona fusion happens off-page as well, except for the first instance, which took up part of Margaret's Social Link. Admittedly, a lot of the Personae used are essentially name drops, except for the ones that don't exactly exist in canon, like Aoandon, Kodama, and Hone-Onna. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Aoandon excels in light, dark, and almighty skills, as well as stat debuffs. It's because of her that Aika has a ridiculous amount of SP (though not so much that she can spam Megido whenever she wants) and high magic and agility stats, but she has to sacrifice pretty much everything physical in return. Really, her attack and defense are abysmal, even with level-grinding._

_Sorry for the obnoxiously long author's note. Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Get ready for copious amounts of FILLER (more commonly known as Social Links)._

* * *

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Chie yelled the next day after school. "_That's_ what you're worried about? I mean, of all things!"

"Dude, her uncle's _terrifying_," Yosuke said. "He went apeshit on that detective who accidentally arrested her that one time! He'll _freak_ if he finds out that she's hanging out with someone like Kanji, especially since the two of them actually _know_ each other."

"Seriously, of all things…" Chie grumbled.

"I have an excuse," Yukiko said helpfully. "We were sort of friends back when we were kids, so we just… rekindled our friendship, I guess."

"Yeah, and if people wonder why _I'm_ hanging out with him, I can just say it's because of you," Chie said, "so can't you just use that excuse, Aika?"

"There's no way my uncle's going to buy that," Aika lamented before sighing and putting her head in her arms on top of her desk. "What are we going to do…?"

"You could say he's your boyfriend or something," Yukiko said.

"What, are you kidding?" Chie asked. "If her uncle's gonna freak out about her _hanging out_ with him, there's no way in _hell_ he's gonna let her _date_ him. Besides – the whole town thinks she's with _him_." She jerked her thumb in Yosuke's direction.

Aika tried not to blush. She really did. "Th-The whole town?" she asked quietly.

"I've got it!" Yosuke yelled suddenly, slamming his hand down on Aika's desk and making her jump up in surprise. "A club. We'll start a club. Then we'll get Kanji to join, and that'll give us all an excuse to hang out with him!"

"Cool," Chie said blandly. "What kind of club?"

"How about a journalism club?" Yukiko suggested.

"I think there's already one of those," Aika said. When her friends stared at her in surprise, she clasped her hands together and tried to melt into the floor. "What? So I was sort of thinking of joining a club…"

"Ooh, how about this?" Chie asked excitedly. "A _mystery_ club. We'll get information on the case, and then compile all our theories into an anthology for the culture festival! Ooh, or maybe we could write about investigation tips!"

"Isn't that too obvious?" Yosuke asked.

"But it'll be like hiding in plain sight!" Yukiko said. "And it'll give Aika an excuse to try to get information on the case out of her uncle."

"I still think he'd be suspicious," Aika admitted. "So how about a literature club instead? I don't think this school has one, and since people know Kanji-kun is into… girlier things, then it wouldn't look too weird if he joined a _literature club_, of all things."

"And he'll actually have to start coming to school too!" Yukiko added.

"Great!" Yosuke said, cutting both of them off. "So who's gonna be president?"

* * *

"Whaddya want?" Mr. Morooka asked rudely.

Yosuke stood before the fearsome teacher, with Aika trying to disappear behind him and Chie and Yukiko standing a little ways away. "Uh…" Yosuke said shakily. "W-We were just wondering if maybe we could start a club!"

"Oh yeah?" Mr. Morooka asked a little more softly. "What kind of club?"

"A literature club," Yosuke said quickly. "We're gonna write an anthology that we'll publish during the culture festival!"

The teacher's forehead creased as he frowned. "Who's president?"

"Yosuke," said Chie.

"Yosuke-kun," said Yukiko.

"Y-Yosuke…" said Aika.

"A-And we even have four people!" Chie added. "That's the minimum number of people to start of a club, right?"

"So lemme get this straight," Morooka said. "You brats just woke up today and thought you'd start a club, huh?"

"Actually, we've been thinking about this for a while," Yukiko said calmly. "It was my idea. We only just decided to put it into action."

Morooka stared at them evenly, his expression barely changing from his perpetual scowl. "So who's gonna be your club advisor?"

"C-Club advisor?" Aika squeaked.

Chie laughed nervously. "We never really thought about that…"

The teacher shrugged and pulled a sheet of paper out of a drawer, signing it at the bottom. "Lucky for you brats, I've got a lot of spare time this year."

"No!" Yosuke almost yelled. "I-I mean, y-you really don't have to go through all the trouble…"

"I won't be doing shit," Morooka said flatly. "You're on your own. Just don't do anything stupid that could get me in trouble. Use my classroom as your meeting place or whatever."

"Wha—seriously?" Yosuke spluttered.

Aika, Chie, and Yukiko simultaneously sighed in relief.

* * *

When Aika arrived at the shrine later, the fox from before greeted her almost immediately. Aika knelt down, and Kaede dropped a single bead into her hand. "Huh?" she asked. "What's this?" On closer inspection, it appeared to be one of the beads Teddie had so often given her. "Where did you find this?" Kaede simply stared at her, so Aika stroked the fox on the head. "Thank you, Kaede-chan. That was very thoughtful of you." As she stood up, she readjusted her bag's strap on her shoulder. "I should get going. See you later, Kaede-chan!"

But when she finally reached home and tried shutting the door, she was dismayed to find Kaede dashing into the house after her. "Wh-What? Kaede-chan, did you follow me?" The fox yipped in response.

Nanako chose that moment to greet her at the door. "Big Sis, you're home!" But as she saw the fox, she screamed.

"I-It's okay, Nanako," Aika said shakily. "U-Um… this is Kaede. She lives at the shrine, but she followed me home today for some reason. Um… she's actually really nice."

Nanako reached out to Kaede, who licked her hand. Nanako giggled. "She's so cute! Big Sis, can we keep her?"

"I don't know…" Aika said slowly. "I don't think Uncle would like it. Besides, I think she might already have a home, so…" Aika opened the front door, but Kaede refused to leave. "I-I guess you could stay for a _little_ while…" Kaede yipped happily, and power surged within Aika.

"I'll get her some food!" Nanako said cheerfully as she ran into the kitchen.

"Ah… let me come too!" Aika called after her.

* * *

"Come on, Aika!" Chie yelled. "You can do it! Faster, faster, faster!" Aika ran several paces behind Chie, too out of breath to answer and wondering why something so painful was supposed to be _good_ for her. Chie, standing by a tree near the Samegawa River, waved her arms above her head. At long last, Aika slapped the tree trunk weakly. "Don't sit down!" Chie said immediately. "You've gotta walk around a bit to cool down. Otherwise, you'll throw up."

When Aika finally caught her breath after pacing back and forth for a few minutes, she finally talked. "Why are we doing this again?"

"To toughen you up!" Chie said loudly. "I mean, sure, you've been doing a lot better fighting-wise lately, but that doesn't mean you can just stop training! Besides – our social lives kind of died last month, since we kept going inside the TV to train, so we need to keep our bodies in perfect condition and toughen them up _outside_ the TV."

"I _guess_ that makes sense…" Aika said quietly as she finally flopped down on the grass.

Chie sat down next to her, stretching her legs out and tapping her toes together. "Say, Aika, I've been meaning to ask you something for a while. Why _didn't_ you have a Shadow?"

Aika shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just honest with myself, I guess? I-I mean, n-not that you aren't, but—"

"No, I see what you mean," Chie cut her off. "That thing came out of me what, a month ago? I _still_ feel embarrassed about it…"

Aika sat up and drew her knees to her chest. _I can tell her. It's only Chie. _"I… I'm scared I'll get a Shadow too… if not now, then later."

Chie threw a sweaty and sticky arm around Aika's shoulders. "Then we'll just beat the shit out of it for you, Aika! You can count on us!" The surge of power Aika felt only complemented the warm feeling in her gut. "Okay, now for some crunches!"

"More?" Aika whined.

"What, you didn't think this was gonna get _easier_, did you?" Chie asked incredulously. "Come on, Aika! Let's go!"

* * *

Yukiko laid several travel brochures across the table. "Okay, so I picked all these up at the inn," she said. "Guests leave these lying around all the time, and I have to pick them up anyway, so… Can you help me choose where to go after I graduate high school?"

Aika picked one up, frowning at the near perfect picture of the tallest buildings in Tokyo. A blurb about the amazing city life popped out at her, and Aika cringed at how inaccurate it was. "Don't go to Tokyo," she said flatly. "It sure _sounds_ glamorous, but it's so crowded, it takes a ridiculously long time to get anywhere. And there's so much _pollution _that the air smells really bad."

Yukiko's face fell as she took the brochure from Aika and ripped it cleanly in half. "So no Tokyo then… " She perked up slightly as she handed Aika another brochure. "Um, what about Okinawa?"

"Where in Okinawa?"

"Um… I don't really know…"

"Either way, the American military occupies a part of it."

"Is that bad?"

"Depends on how you feel about the government in general."

Yukiko's eyebrows furrowed. "You really hate it everywhere else but here, don't you?"

That threw Aika for a loop. "Huh?"

"Don't deny it! Then your Shadow will start picking on you!"

Aika sighed and drew her knees to her chest. "I don't… know… I love it here, but…"

Yukiko smiled gently. "Maybe it's not so much that you hate all those other places you've lived, but rather that you hated having to move around so much."

"Yeah, I _did_ hate it," Aika said. "I still do, but…" She groaned in frustration. "I don't get why you hate it here so much. You don't have to worry about when Satomi Tadashi's going to send your parents all the way across Japan again, or worse, _overseas_, and—" Aika clapped a hand over her mouth; she'd said too much.

Yukiko's lips quirked upward into a half smile. "You miss them," she deduced. Aika averted her eyes downward and nodded. "So tell them that."

"I _can't_!" Aika protested. "Well… maybe I _can_, but…"

A surge of power welled up inside her, and Yukiko smiled. "You'll feel a lot better if you do."

* * *

The phone rang three times before her mother finally answered. "How's it going, favorite daughter of mine?"

And, all too quickly, Aika could feel herself slipping back into her routine. "Mom, I'm your _only_ daughter."

"So your uncle's been telling me that you've been a social little butterfly lately. Good for you, Aika. You know, I'll be honest – I thought you forgot how to make friends altogether, since you haven't had any for a while."

"I thought I did too…"

"No, I'm really happy for you. I mean, when you think back on high school, I think you'll remember this year clearly."

Aika smiled bitterly, the faces of Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi, Yukiko, and Kanji floating to the surface of her mind. "Definitely." Then she thought back on her conversation with Yukiko earlier. "Um… Mom?"

"Yeah? Something wrong?"

"No… I mean, sort of, I guess… I just…" Aika squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the receiver tightly. "I miss you! I miss you a lot, a-and…"

"It's only for a year, Aika," Masami said calmly. "We'll be together again soon enough. You'll see."

Aika exhaled sharply, and it was as if a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Y-Yeah…"

"So what brought this on? Why the sudden nostalgia?"

"It's not sudden," Aika said quietly. "This has been a long time coming."

"Aw, sweetie… Tell you what. I'll see if we can finish earlier than planned. How does that sound?"

Maybe Aika would come to regret this later. Maybe she wouldn't. But at the moment, all she could think about was the prospect of seeing her parents sooner than originally planned. "Yeah, that would be great!"

"Okay." Power surged inside her as she continued talking to her mother for the next few hours.

* * *

The Sunday after rescuing Kanji, Aika came downstairs, having decided to heat up leftovers for breakfast and sleep in that morning, to Nanako sitting at the table, staring at a potted plant in front of her. "Good morning," Aika said. Nanako didn't respond; she simply stared forlornly at the plant before her. "Is something wrong?"

"Um…" Nanako said quietly. "We're growing veggies at school. The teacher gave us seedlings and told us to try growing them at home. I asked Dad, and he said I could plant them wherever I want. I don't know where's good, though…"

"How about that little plot of land next to the house?" Aika suggested, picking up the pot and examining the plant. It looked like a tomato, and she could already picture all the amazing dishes she could make with fresh tomatoes. "No one's using it."

"Yeah, that could work!" Nanako said cheerfully. "We don't use it, but it's still our yard."

"Okay! Let's get to work!" And, as it turned out, the yard was in no condition to use. There was a large mound of dirt and several rakes and shovels nearby, indicating that someone might have been trying to fix the yard before, but never got around to finishing it. "Um… this might take a while…"

"Let's get started, Big Sis!" Nanako said cheerfully, picking up a rake. Aika took a shovel and lifted some dirt out of the way. And, as the hours ticked by, the two of them managed to create a suitable garden. "Wow!" Nanako gushed. "Can we plant the seedlings now?"

"Go for it," Aika said tiredly with a smile, leaning against the fence. And as she watched Nanako dig, power surged within her. "But it doesn't end here. We still need to take care of them."

"Yeah, I know!" Nanako said cheerfully. "Ooh, I have an idea! We need to make a sign!"

"Right, because no one will know what we planted until they finish growing," Aika agreed. "Okay. What kind of sign do you want to make."

"Um… a big one!"

And, after creating a sign, Aika sighed in exhaustion. "We did it…"

"I'll be in charge of watering the plants," Nanako announced.

"I have a better idea," Aika said. "Let's take care of them together, since we planted them together.

"Okay!" Nanako said cheerfully. "If a lot of veggies grow, will our house be like Junes?"

Aika smiled sheepishly. "Not exactly, but close enough."

Nanako giggled. "I can't wait!" All in all, it was a very satisfying day.

* * *

Aika approached Yukiko hesitantly the next day after school. "U-Um… Yukiko?"

Yukiko smiled pleasantly. "Hey, Aika."

"I-I'm really sorry… a-about that time you asked me about different places, a-and I sort of…" Aika made a weird twisting motion with her hands that Yukiko somehow understood.

"It's okay," Yukiko said calmly. "I'm not mad. Though, uh… can I still get some advice?"

"Of course!" Aika said.

"I have about an hour to spare before I have to head back to the inn, so why don't we head down to the river for a bit?" They made small talk as they walked, never broaching on travel-related topics. Finally, when they sat down, Yukiko brought it up. "So here's a better question," she said. "You're the travel expert here, so what would _you_ recommend? Besides Inaba, of course."

"Hmm…" Aika said slowly. "That depends. Do you prefer a city, or a village?"

"Definitely a city," Yukiko said excitedly. "Actually… maybe a less hectic city than Tokyo?"

"Well… Tsushima Island's really nice. Kind of touristy, though… Same with Karuizawa, except you'll get more Japanese people than Koreans. Yokohama's right by the sea, so it's really beautiful – that's probably my favorite place besides Inaba – and I think you'll really like Fukuoka."

"So many places to choose from…" Yukiko said quietly, her face growing paler.

"Are you okay?" Aika asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Yukiko assured her. "It's just a little overwhelming. I don't know how you can keep track of all these places."

"It's not like I got to _choose_ where we'd move next," Aika said. "That depended on where Satomi Tadashi wanted my parents."

"Thanks anyway, Aika," Yukiko said. And then there was another surge of power as Aika smiled back. "Hmm… maybe I should work on learning how to live by myself…"

"That sounds like a better idea," Aika said. "I can help you learn to cook, if you'd like. You're probably already used to cleaning and picking up after yourself, huh?" And as the hours ticked by, they continued talking about everything under the sun regarding housework.

* * *

"Hey, Aika-chan! What brings you here?"

It was a peaceful evening in Junes, and though Nanako would probably be furious that Aika went without bringing her, there was a dish that Aika _really_ wanted to try, and, well, _priorities_. And, coincidentally, she just so happened to run into her uncle's partner. "Good evening, Adachi-san," she said politely. "I'm just shopping for groceries. How about you?"

"Same," he said with a casual smirk. "Say, that dinner you made the other day was really good."

Aika couldn't help but blush. "Oh, thank you… U-Um, if you'd like to come over again tonight, you're more than welcome."

"I might just take you up on that offer," Adachi said. "I kind of suck at cooking anyway."

* * *

Nanako was excited to have Adachi home for dinner again, especially, since it looked like Uncle wasn't going to come home that night. The three of them sat at the table, and Aika couldn't help but wonder just when and how Adachi became a part of their little family. Not that she was complaining, of course. "Wow, Aika-chan, this croquette is _amazing_!" Adachi gushed.

"Thank you," Aika said pleasantly. "It's a new recipe I wanted to try out."

"Really?" Adachi asked. "You follow recipes?"

"Um…" And suddenly, Aika felt extremely self-conscious. Was he making some sort of comment about her cooking skills? Did he respect those who didn't use recipes more than those that did? "I-I… B-Both, I guess… Most of the stuff I make just comes from playing around with recipes I found in books or online. I-I'm pretty sure a lot of them aren't exactly the same as the original recipes, th-though…"

"Well," Adachi said fleetingly, popping some food into his mouth, "you won't have to worry about finding yourself a good husband. I mean, you're cute, you never go too far out of line, and you can cook. That's pretty much the entire package for an ideal wife." Aika turned a furious shade of red as she briefly wondered if Yosuke thought she was ideal wife material. She shook her head furiously to banish the thought. "Oh, sorry. Did you already have a _special someone_ in mind?"

"N-No!" Aika shrieked, but her shaking hands and flushed face said otherwise. "I-I mean…"

Adachi laughed. "I'm just teasing you, Aika-chan."

There was a surge of power as they continued to eat, making small talk along the way.

* * *

Aika finally paid another visit to the Velvet Room the day after having dinner with Adachi. "Welcome back," Margaret greeted. "It's been a while since your last visit. How have you been?"

"Good," Aika said. "We saved someone last week."

Margaret's smile turned genuine. "Congratulations," she said. "The result of your mastery of multiple Personae, no doubt."

Aika smiled sheepishly. "Actually, for the actual fight, I didn't use any except for Aoandon."

Margaret's eyes widened in surprise. "Really, now? So you actually _have_ managed to possess and strengthen the Wild Card without actually using it any more than you have to? I must say, I'm impressed. The previous resident _never_ resolved to do what you are trying to do."

"Oh yeah, about that…" Aika said slowest. "What kind of a person was she?" Margaret's expression hardened. "I-I'm sorry… I'm just curious…"

Margaret sighed and pat the velvet seat next to her, and Aika sat down as per her instruction. "Makoto. Master Makoto. That was her name."

"Makoto, huh?" Aika whispered, staring upward. In the corner of her eye, she could see Igor's hands tense.

"She was bright, optimistic, and honestly a little foolish," Margaret said wistfully, before chuckling to herself. "It really is no wonder that my brother got along with her so well."

Aika clasped her hands tightly together and stared downward. "Did something happen to her?"

"Why do you want to know?" Igor interjected, his voice hard, his question probing.

Aika immediately backtracked. "I-I'm sorry… I-It's just th-that…"

Margaret smiled gently at her. "You assume that something happened to her based on our reactions when you ask about her." Aika nodded. "So allow me to ask _you_ something in return. Why _do_ you want to know about Master Makoto so badly?"

"I-It's just that…" Aika said quietly. "I just thought that… that if I knew what her task was, what exactly it was that she did, then I could… try to follow her example. Try to be like her."

Margaret slammed the Persona Compendium shut, her expression thunderous. "Absolutely not!" Aika jumped and backed away from her; it was the first time she'd heard the normally calm and reserved woman raise her voice for anything. There was a surge of power, and surely Margaret was aware of it, but Aika couldn't bring herself to care. The blonde woman sighed, looking away from Aika. "Please leave."

"I-I'm sorry…" Aika whispered. "I-I didn't mean to—"

"Master Aika, if you do not leave this instant, I will say something that I know for certain that I will regret later," Margaret said evenly, yet tersely. "Please leave."

And as Aika left the Velvet Room, she couldn't stop thinking about what she possibly could have done to offend Margaret, to hurt her so badly.

* * *

Aika spent the rest of the day in a daze. It was so bad that she was forced to choose the simplest recipe she could think of for dinner that night, and then she still messed up. She didn't miss the way Uncle and Nanako didn't clean their plates like usual, but she somehow couldn't bring herself to care. Her conversation with Margaret still buzzed in her head, refusing to leave her alone. Nanako went upstairs shortly afterwards, and as Aika made to do the dishes, Uncle stopped her. "I'll take care of it," he said.

"N-No, it's okay—" Aika tried to protest, but Uncle had already swept the dishes out of her hands and taken them to the sink.

"So what's wrong?" he asked so casually that Aika almost felt comfortable answering him completely honestly. "And don't tell me that nothing's wrong. So spill."

Aika sighed; there really was no avoiding it now. "My friend's mad at me, and I don't know why."

"Oh, I see," Uncle said. "Friend drama. So what happened? What did you do to make her mad?"

"I don't know!" Aika spluttered. "I just… I asked her about… someone she knew before, and she suddenly got all…"

"Did you ever think that maybe it was a touchy subject for her?" Uncle asked.

"Yeah, I know that _now_, but—"

"So apologize to her for bringing it up," Uncle said. "Look… You… You need to be a little more sensitive. You can't be so blunt all the time."

"I'm not blunt," Aika denied quickly.

"_Yes_, you are," Uncle cut in. "Or rather, you can be. Just…try to see things from your friend's perspective. So she's got this friend who she hasn't seen in a while, you said? And you come in, guns blazing, asking about everything there is to know about her. That's a little…" He made a gesture with his hands.

"Yeah…" Aika said quietly. "I understand."

"Good," Uncle said gently. "You're doing great so far, but it's okay to mess up sometimes. Remember that."

"Thanks, Uncle…" And then, after the surge of power, she and her uncle made small talk until it was time to go to bed.

* * *

That Sunday, as per an overheard classmate's discussion, Aika watched a mail order TV show. An infectiously cheery song played in the beginning: "Here comes Tanakaaaa over the waves to youuuu…"

A cocky-looking man in a blue suit appeared on the screen. "Hello, everyone! Welcome to… Tanaka's Amazing Commodities!"

"Granter of your desires!" voices sang.

"This is Tanaka's Amazing Commodities, the mail order television program, broadcasted live to you!" Tanaka announced. "We guarantee your purchase will meet your satisfaction for a fair market price!" Aika gripped her phone tightly, ready to call at any moment. "Now, let's introduce the products available for these three days! It's one Jingi Fundoshi! It'll boost your vitality! I'll add two Slimming Foods to your Jingi Fundoshi, all for the low price of only 11,800 yen!" Aika loosened her grip on her cell phone slightly. We've got another fantastic product on sale today! One Inaba Trout! A fresh combo! On top of this, I'll add two Amber Seema for only 2980 yen!"

Aika called in at this point. "H-Hello…" she said shyly. "Um… I-I'd like to order the Inaba Trout combo…" And, in a few seconds, the deal was done. Aika sighed in relief and switched off the television.

* * *

Kanji met them on the rooftop the next day after school. "H-Hi there!" he greeted shakily.

"Hello," Aika said pleasantly.

Chie snorted in laughter. "Where'd the manners come from?"

"Well, um…" Kanji muttered. "I didn't know you guys were my senpai." This made everyone laugh, and Kanji himself even cracked a small smile. "Uh… Thanks a bunch, though I don't really remember what happened…"

They all exchanged looks, and Yukiko nodded. "There are some things we'd like you to tell us," she said.

"First off, who was that boy you met with?" Chie asked.

"You were on a date, huh?" Aika asked.

Chie groaned as Kanji flinched. "Would you just drop the date thing already?" she deadpanned.

"I-I don't really know much about him," Kanji admitted. "I mean, I've only met him twice…"

"So it was love at first sight then," Aika concluded.

"H-Hey, it ain't like that!" Kanji yelled. "He just asked me stuff like… if anything different happened lately. I dunno where my head was at… When I came to my senses, I blurted out that I wanted to see him again." His face turned red, and Aika smiled knowingly.

"Not one word, Aika," Chie said flatly.

"I, uh…" Kanji said quietly. "… I don't really get it myself. Girls are so loud and obnoxious, so, y'know… I really don't like dealing with 'em. Guys are a lot more laid back. S-So, uh… I started thinking, what if I'm the type who never gets interested in girls? And I couldn't accept that, so I just kept spinning around and around in my head."

"All because of a few psychos?" Chie asked. "That's so sad…"

"Well, I can understand the part about being more relaxed around dudes," Yosuke said finally.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chie demanded. "We're not good enough for you?"

"So, are you okay now, Kanji-kun?" Yukiko asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine now," Kanji replied, smiling. "I mean, it was all in my head, when y'get down to it. I was the one shutting out that stuff."

Aika tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Well, uh…" Kanji said slowly. "Our family's run a textile shop for generations… oh yeah, you already knew that. My parents are kinda weird… They say stuff like, 'Dyes are one with the universe,' and 'Cloth is alive…' That's the kinda house I grew up in, so I've been interested in sewing and stuff since I was a kid. But the second I say stuff like that, people look at me funny…" Kanji groaned and smacked his forehead. "Shit, what's with me today? I'm going on and on about myself…"

Aika smiled at him. "Don't worry about it."

Kanji laughed. "I've never talked about any of this stuff before. Guess I never had anyone to tell it to."

"Feels great, doesn't it?" Chie asked, grinning.

"I guess I wasn't really afraid of girls," Kanji said slowly. "I was just scared of people in general. But all that's behind me."

"Wow, I'm surprised," Chie said. "You're a good kid."

"D-Don't call me a good kid!" Kanji shot back, blushing.

"No need to get embarrassed," Yosuke said with a chuckle. "You can take it." Aika giggled at that. "Oh, speaking of which… Is there anything you remember after you ran into us the second time? You know, after you chased us away, and almost hit Aika, and said you were gonna take us down."

Aika felt her face heat up, but no one seemed to notice. "I think I went home," Kanji said. "I was gonna sleep it off in my room. Wait, I think someone came…"

"To your house?" Yukiko asked. "Who was it, Kanji-kun?"

"It was just a feeling I had," Kanji said. "I don't know if anyone actually came… Other than that, I remember some weird, dark entrance thing, and when I woke up, I was laid out on the floor of that sauna place."

"A dark entrance…" Yukiko mused. "Could it have been a TV?"

"Huh?" Kanji asked. "Now that you mention it, maybe so… Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," Yukiko said. "I was just wondering."

"Did the police ask you anything?" Aika asked. _My uncle specifically?_

"Well, my mom had called the cops to look for me, so they questioned me for a while," Kanji answered. "I told them exactly what I told you, and they looked at me like I was crazy."

"So, are you guys playing detective or somethin'?" Kanji asked.

"Or something," Aika replied.

"Anything I can do to help?" Kanji asked, punching his fist in the air. "If there's some bastard out there who put me through this, I ain't gonna rest until I make 'em pay."

"Seriously?" Yosuke asked. "Awesome! You'd make a great addition to our team! And there's finally gonna be another guy here!"

"What's wrong with us girls?" Chie asked.

"Kanji's right," Yosuke said. "You're all psycho."

"Not _all_ of us, surely," Yukiko said quietly.

"I haven't done anything to you…" Aika mumbled.

Yosuke chuckled. "Just kidding. You guys are great."

"I'll do my best!" Kanji said. And then there was a surge of power that made Aika feel warm inside, and she smiled.

"Should we take him to our special headquarters?" Yukiko asked.

"We're still calling it that?" Chie asked.

"Wh-What's that?" Kanji gasped.

"C'mon, let's go," Yosuke said, smiling.

* * *

Kanji practically inhaled his steak. "Man, you eat a lot…" Yosuke muttered. "Were you listening to what we were saying?"

Kanji swallowed and set down his chopsticks. "Wait, so someone's killing people with a TV?" he asked. "What, is he beating them to death?"

"No, they weren't being beaten with a TV!" Yosuke snapped. "Weren't you listening at all?"

"Don't worry," Chie said. "He'll understand once he sees the place with his own eyes."

"Oh yeah!" Aika quipped. "There's one more thing. Unofficially, we're investigating this case, but officially, we're… a literature club."

"A what now?" Kanji asked.

"It's our cover," Aika explained. "Um… my uncle's a detective, and he's very… protective of me. So if he finds out that I'm hanging around with you without a good reason, he'll freak. So we really need you to officially join our club."

"A literature club?" Kanji asked. "Seriously? That's the best cover you could come up with?"

"No one's gonna pay any attention to us anyway," Yosuke said. "So we'll just… blend into the background. And it's better for all of us, 'cause you kind of have a reputation around here."

"Please join our club," Aika begged.

"Well…" Kanji said. "Y-Yeah, sure, I guess…"

Aika sighed in relief. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "We meet in room 2-B on Tuesdays after school. We pretty much just stay there and talk about stuff so that people think we're actually doing something. Attendance is mandatory."

"What, are you president or somethin'?" Kanji asked.

"No," Aika said. "Yosuke is."

"I still can't believe you guys pushed me into that…" Yosuke grumbled.

"Okay, back to the case," Chie said. "So the killer kidnapped him first, then threw him into the TV. Just like with Yukiko…"

"This show's been pretty crazy lately, huh?" Aika heard someone else say.

"Yeah, I wonder who'll show up next," another voice responded.

"I know before it came on that he'd be the next one to appear," the first voice said. "What's that dude's name? That first-year who used to be in a biker gang…"

Kanji stood up. "Who the hell d'ya think was next?" he demanded. "His name is Kanji Tatsumi. And he wasn't in a biker gang – he's the one that beat the shit out of those leathered-up pansies! So who are you dipshits?"

Aika couldn't help but laugh as the two students talking at a table nearby ran away. "That was amazing," she said.

"Boring…" Kanji muttered.

"I can't stand it," Chie grumbled. "Sure, they have no idea it's related to the murders, but still… How can they talk about their schoolmate like that?"

"They're like onlookers at a car crash," Yosuke said. "As long as it's not happening to them, they're dying to see…"

"So now we know that the victims won't necessarily be female," Aika said before sighing heavily. "We're back at square one…"

"But what about the other part?" Yukiko asked. "That people involved in the initial case, about Ms. Yamano, are the targets.

"But Kanji-kun didn't have anything to do with her," Aika pointed out.

"Hmm…" Chie said. "Think we're wrong about this one too?"

"I dunno," Yosuke said with a sigh. "That announcer was involved with their mothers, not them. We haven't come up with a reason yet why the killer would target their children. But if that really is the case, then Aika might be in trouble, since her uncle's pretty freaking involved."

Kanji smirked knowingly. "You guys sayin' you don't have any clues?" he asked innocently. "Well listen up, 'cause I got somethin' big." He pulled a set of bundled sheets of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Aika. "When I made my comeback at school today, there was this annoying brat hanging around. Turns out he was snooping around about Senpai's and my disappearance, so I took this from him. I dunno what the hell this all is, though."

Aika flipped through the pages. "It's just a bunch of lists," she said. "There's this enka album chart. Misuzu Hiiragi's is on the top of the list."

"I hear her album sales have gone up since the incident," Chie said. "If she knows about it and she's using it to sell her songs, that's pretty sketchy."

"She has an alibi, though," Yosuke pointed out. "I don't think this involves her… Let's move on."

"Okay," Aika said as she flipped to the next page. "It's a ranking of female announcers from different stations. Ms. Yamano's on here, but a little below the middle."

"Does this mean she wasn't that well-known since the incident?" Chie asked.

"It's just this guy's personal rankings, right?" Yosuke asked. "So it's nothing important. What does the next one say?"

"Um…" Aika said quietly. "I'm not sure. It says 'List of TV programs,' but… 'Mayumi Yamano, 4/11, Saki Konishi, 4/13…"

"Huh?" Yosuke asked. "April 11th…?"

"Oh, they found the first body on the day school started, so that would have been… the 12th," Chie said. "The 11th is the day before that…"

"That was the day she was killed, right?" Yukiko asked.

"I know I can't forget the day Saki-senpai's body was found…" Yosuke said quietly, and Aika's heart ached for him. "That was the 15th. So what's… 'Saki Konishi, April 13th'…?"

The answer came suddenly. "The day she came on TV!" Aika said. "I remember!"

"Wait, what?" Yosuke asked.

"That was the day I met her," Aika elaborated. "We first watched the Midnight Channel that day, right?"

Yosuke's expression hardened. "Yeah, there's no doubt about it…" he said quietly.

"Oh yeah, I saw that too," Chie said. "They were interviewing her 'cause she found the first body."

"Then this part," Yukiko said, taking the papers from Aika. "'Mayumi Yamano, April 11th'. Is that the day she appeared on TV too?"

"Oh yeah!" Chie said. "I remember now! That was the day the affair hit the news!"

"Hey, wait a sec," Yosuke said. "Yukiko, didn't you get interviewed too? When did that interview air?"

"I-I think it was when I was absent from school," Yukiko mumbled. "It was the first week for sure, but…"

"Wait, I remember!" Aika gasped. "It was the day I stayed home sick from school! After we went into the TV for the first time, remember? It came right after…" Aika trailed off and stared downward, remembering the cold feeling when she found out that Saki Konishi was dead. Yosuke sighed, seemingly catching on to her message.

"So that was April 15th," Yukiko said quickly. "And right after that, I was kidnapped."

"What about the television special _you_ were on, Kanji-kun?" Aika asked.

"Oh yeah, that thing…" Kanji muttered. "Damn show made my mom go apeshit on me, and…"

"The date!" Yosuke snapped irritably. "Just tell us the date!"

"Uh, I don't remember the exact date," Kanji said, his eyes widening slightly. "But it wasn't too long before I met you guys."

"It was the day he first showed up on the Midnight Channel, I think," Aika said.

"It's true, then…" Yosuke said quietly. "Everyone was on TV before they disappeared."

"So you think the killer's targeting people he sees on TV?" Chie asked.

"I was so caught up with the news reports about the incidents that I didn't notice at all," Yukiko said.

"Yeah, it makes sense…" Aika said quietly. "Besides – when the killer failed with Yukiko, they moved to Kanji-kun instead of trying again."

"Maybe this 'being on TV' thing is some stupid rule that the killer's following," Yosuke suggested.

"That's right…" Chie gasped. "The killer could've targeted the same victim again…"

"I think there's a definite connection here between the kidnappings and the TV broadcasts," Yosuke retorted. "The victims weren't just involved with the first case. They were also shown on the mass media."

"But that doesn't explain the first case," Aika pointed out. "Mayumi Yamano's."

"Yeah, and what's the motive?" Yosuke asked. "Why kill someone just because they were on TV?" He groaned in frustration. "Damn it… Now that I think about it, we haven't gotten anywhere! Why can't I be smarter?"

"Yosuke…" Aika said quietly.

"Dude, why beat yourself up?" Kanji asked. "I think you guys are awesome. I mean, you guys noticed what was happening to me and even risked your lives to stop it. That's more than enough."

"You rescued me, too," Yukiko added. "We may not have solved the mystery, but we've saved two people already."

"That's true, but…" Yosuke protested weakly.

"What's more, everyone's deduction that Kanji-kun might be next was right on the nose," Yukiko continued.

"I know!" Chie whined. "We were so close!"

"Huh?" Kanji asked. "You guys knew before it happened? Damn, I wish you guys'd come a little earlier, then…" This earned a small smile from Yosuke, and Aika couldn't help but laugh along with Chie and Yukiko.

"Well, if we know this much," Chie said, "I think we can outsmart the killer next time. Then it's a countdown to their arrest."

"Don't forget," Yukiko said seriously. "It's always possible that Kanji-kun was the last target."

"Or so we hope…" Yosuke said. "We've thwarted them twice already. Here's hoping the killer's learned their lesson by now."

"Let's keep checking the Midnight Channel," Aika said. "The victims show up on there first, right?"

"That reminds me…" Chie said. "The school campout's next week. I hope it doesn't rain."

"School campout?" Aika asked.

"It's for both t he first-year and second-year students, so we'll see you there, Kanji-kun," Chie continued.

"Seriously?" Kanji asked incredulously. "School? What a drag… Mind if I order another grilled steak? I'm gonna finish this one while the next one's on the grill. We're… going Dutch on the meal, right?"

"Wait, what about Teddie?" Aika asked. "Kanji-kun still needs to meet him."

"Huh?" Kanji asked. "What's up?" Without warning, Chie and Yukiko grabbed each of Kanji's arms and dragged him into the electronics department. "Hey, hold up! My food!"

When Yosuke sighed again, Aika stared at him in concern. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Huh?" Yosuke asked distractedly. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

Aika averted her eyes downward. "It's about Konishi-senpai, isn't it?"

"Look, it's no big deal," Yosuke said fleetingly. "Just… me being all nostalgic, is all." He smiled reassuringly at her. "Really. Don't worry."

Feeling almost unnecessarily bold, Aika slipped her hand into Yosuke's, and they held hands as they walked together to the electronics department.

* * *

"Oh yeah…" Kanji said as he saw Teddie. "Now that you mention it, I kinda remember this thing… Didn't think it was a bear, though. By the way, why _is_ it a bear?"

"I don't know," Teddie said sadly. "I've been wondering too."

Kanji's face flushed scarlet. "I-It's kinda cute," he said. "M-Mind if I pet you?"

"No touching allowed, mister!" Teddie retorted.

"Wha—" Kanji gasped. "Hey, don't give me any lip, bear!" Yukiko started laughing and didn't stop until almost a minute later. "By the way, I've been wondering. You were kidnapped too, right, Yukiko-senpai?"

"Yeah, it wasn't long before you," Yukiko replied.

"So like, that means you came out to everyone too?" Kanji asked.

"Wh-What?" Yukiko gasped. Then she glared at Kanji and slapped him hard on the jaw. "Oh, sorry," she said as he grunted in pain. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard."

"M-My jaw!" Kanji groaned.

"I'll be more gentle next time," Yukiko said sincerely.

Kanji blushed at that. "G-Gentle?"

Chie groaned, and Teddie waddled over to Kanji. "Oh yeah! Here's a present from me, Kanji! It's to celebrate you joining the team!"

"W-Wait, Teddie, that's—" Aika protested.

"Hurry and put them on," Yukiko said. Aika sighed and Chie groaned again as Kanji put on the gag glasses reluctantly. Yukiko snorted in laughter. "I-It looks perfect on you…" Then she started laughing and didn't stop.

Yosuke chuckled. "Damn, dude," he said. "It looks great on you!"

"I had a normal pair ready for you," Teddie said. "But Yuki-chan insisted on this one. She wouldn't budge!"

Kanji raised his fist threateningly as Yukiko laughed harder. "Yeah, real funny, you smartass!"

"Wh-Why are you taking it out on me?" Teddie asked, pulling out another pair of glasses.

"Gimme that!" Kanji yelled, taking the glasses from the bear, practically growling in anger as he saw that it was another pair of gag glasses.

This time, Aika couldn't help but laugh. "You took my spare pair!" Teddie said. "Kanji, you must really like those." By now, even Chie was laughing. Kanji promptly took off the glasses and flung them out into the distance. Teddie pulled out one last pair of glasses. "This is the real one. It wasn't easy getting it to you."

Kanji put the glasses on immediately. "Why the hell did you bother making a spare if it's more useless crap?" he demanded. "Dammit! I'll get you guys for this someday…"

As everyone left, Aika was finally left alone with Yosuke. "So…" she mumbled. "Um…"

"I'm okay," he said, as if anticipating her question. "Really."

She exhaled sharply. "Would you like to come over for dinner?"

"H-Huh?" Yosuke asked, his face turning a little red.

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled, staring downward and clasping his hands together. "I-If you don't want to, th-that's okay…"

"N-No, it's fine," he said, before smiling gently at her. "Sure, I'll come. But… are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah!" Aika replied. "So… um… Shall we… go…?"

* * *

To her dismay, Uncle had decided to come home that night. Ryotaro Dojima crossed his arms, frowning sternly at Yosuke. "So," he drawled. "What's going on?"

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled. "U-Uncle, is it okay if he stays for dinner?"

Uncle raised one eyebrow and nodded stiffly. Snapping his fingers, he pointed to the spot at the table facing the couch. "Sit over there."

"Y-Yes, sir!" Yosuke said quickly as he ran over to the table. "H-Hey, Nanako-chan… Remember me?"

Nanako smiled at him. "Yeah, of course!" she replied.

"You haven't been sleeping with this guy, have you, Aika?" Uncle whispered.

"Wh-What?" Aika gasped, feeling her face heat up. "No!"

"Just checking," he said. "I mean, you've barely known this guy for two months. No need to rush into a relationship like that or anything."

"Uncle…" Aika moaned as she started washing vegetables. And, within an hour, she was done. Uncle sat across from Yosuke, glaring at him, and Nanako just looked uncomfortable through the whole ordeal. "Sorry for the wait," Aika said quietly as she set down some plates.

"Wow, this looks amazing, Aika," Yosuke said. But then Uncle gave him a pointed look, and he backed down immediately. No one said another word throughout dinner, and at the end, when Aika went to do the dishes, Yosuke joined her. "I think your uncle hates me," he whispered to her.

"Shh," Aika whispered back. "He's looking at us."

"Yeesh. Chie wasn't kidding when she said that the whole town thinks we're together."

"Are we?" Aika found herself asking before she could stop herself. When the words left her mouth, she froze. "I-I mean… I just… I don't know about this kind of stuff, so…"

"No," Yosuke said bluntly.

Aika wilted a little at that. "No?"

When he looked at her, Aika could see a swirl of emotions in his eyes. "It's not that I don't like you or anything. I think you're great. But… if there's one thing I learned today, it's that if I get into… _any _relationship now, I'll think of Saki-senpai. And I don't want to do that to you."

Aika felt her face was melting, because it felt so hot now. "Wh-What do you mean?"

Yosuke exhaled sharply. "What I mean is, I like you, Aika. But… I don't want you as my girlfriend just yet."

"I understand," Aika said, smiling at him. "I don't think I'm ready either. I have no idea what you're supposed to do when you're going out with someone anyway."

Yosuke chuckled, and Aika felt a surge of power within her. "Wow, that's a load off."

Aika giggled. "You said it."

"What're you laughing at, back there?" Uncle asked.

Aika almost groaned. "I'm telling him that story Auntie told me," she lied. "About that movie she made you watch with her, and you thought it would be stupid, but then by the end, you were—"

"That's enough!" Uncle yelled. "Don't… You didn't finish that story, did you?"

"Maybe," Aika said simply. "Maybe not."

Uncle sighed. "All right, I won't terrorize your boyfriend again."

"He's not my boyfriend." And for the first time, Aika felt no embarrassment, no furious sense of denial when she said this. Actually, for the first time, she felt _calm_ when her relationship with Yosuke was brought up. And when Yosuke left that night, she actually felt _happy_ about where her relationship with him was.

* * *

Aika sneezed for the umpteenth time that day and rubbed her nose. "Are you okay, Aika?" Yosuke asked.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I just caught a cold."

"You know, the rainy season's just about here," Yukiko said. "And it's been a little chilly lately, so that's probably why."

"Isn't it a little early?" Yosuke asked.

"Once it starts, it'll be raining every night," Yukiko pointed out. "We'll have to keep a constant eye on the Midnight Channel."

"Crap, I didn't even think about that…" Yosuke muttered. "I thought you were worried about the rain 'cause of the school campout."

"It sounds like a lot of fun," Aika said.

"That's right," Yukiko said. "It's the first time for you two."

"You realize the only purpose of the school campout is to 'develop a love for one's hometown in young people,' right?" Chie asked.

"Yeah, they tell us that up front," Yosuke said. "So?"

"Well you see," Chie continued. "The way we supposedly develop that love is by picking up trash off the mountain."

"Wait, what?" Aika asked.

"Picking up trash?" Yosuke said incredulously. "'Develop a love,' my ass! That's slave labor!"

"Well the night's kind of fun," Chie pointed out. "We cook our own meals with mess kits and sleep in tents."

"The four of us are in the same group," Yukiko added.

"The same group, huh?" Yosuke asked. "Does that mean we sleep together at night, too?"

"Th-They actually allow that?" Aika asked.

"Not exactly," Chie said. "If you leave your tent at night, you'll be expelled on the spot."

"But that means Yosuke's going to be all alone…" Aika mumbled.

"It's only for one night, and we disband before noon the next day," Yukiko said. "It doesn't last very long."

"We _did_ have some fun at the river before going home last year," Chie said.

"Do they let you go swimming?" Yosuke asked.

"I think so?" Chie replied. "There's always someone who takes a dip, although we didn't."

"So, they let you go swimming, huh?" Yosuke asked, a mischievous smile on his face. Aika, Chie, and Yukiko just exchanged confused looks.

* * *

By the time the "club meeting" rolled around, Aika felt absolutely awful. She felt both hot and cold at the same time, her nose tickled constantly, just threatening to make her sneeze at a moment's notice, and she felt so dizzy that her vision was starting to blur around the edges a little. "Are you okay?" Chie asked her. "You don't look too good."

"I feel sick…" Aika said quietly, squeezing her eyes shut and then reopening them to clear her vision. "I think I have a fever."

"Maybe you should go to the infirmary," Yukiko suggested. "Come on. I'll walk with you."

* * *

Three students waited in the infirmary. "Ah, Yukiko-san," one girl said. "And… Aika-san, is it? The transfer student, right? Did one of you get hurt or something?"

"Aika isn't feeling well," Yukiko told the girl. "She caught a cold, and it got a lot worse after lunch."

"Oh, okay," the girl said. "Why don't you come over here?" She gestured toward a single cot behind a curtain, and Aika lay down without question. The girl placed one hand on Aika's forehead, and the other on her own. "Yeah, you _definitely_ have a fever."

"Is it serious?" Yukiko asked concernedly.

"I don't think so," the girl replied. "I can't give you any medicine, though."

"Is it okay if I just rest here for a while?" Aika asked.

"Sure, no problem," the girl said. "We're going to make some rounds, but we'll be back soon. Do you think you'll be okay on your own?"

"Y-Yeah, I'll be fine," Aika replied, smiling at her reassuringly.

"Okay, we'll be back soon." Yukiko left with the health committee members, leaving Aika alone, and she threw her arm lazily over her forehead..

Sleep remained stubbornly out of her grasp. She quickly lost track of time, and it wasn't until she heard the door open that she decided to look at the clock – by now, she had been lying down, trying to sleep for almost half an hour. "Sorry I'm late," a boy's voice said. There was a slight pause. "So everyone went on rounds already, huh…?" Aika cursed herself when she sneezed at precisely that moment. Any plans she had to remain inconspicuous and out of sight were promptly dashed as the boy pulled aside the curtain to look at her. It was a rather skinny boy, with light brown hair. He was tall, but he looked young – maybe he was a first year. When Aika sneezed again, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a light pink handkerchief. "Here," he said, handing it to her.

"Th-Thank you…" Aika said, taking it and wiping her nose with it.

His eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, you're…" He glared at her. "You're Hanamura's girlfriend."

"No, I'm not," Aika said flatly. "But I _am_ his friend."

"I hate him…" the boy muttered. "You too!"

Aika frowned slightly at him. "Wait, why?"

The boy sighed. "Forget it. I'm leaving."

It was only after he slammed the door shut behind him that Aika realized that she was still holding his handkerchief. "W-Wait! You forgot your…" But he was already gone. But somehow, when she lay back down, she must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, the health committee members were back.

The girl from before had her hand pressed against Aika's forehead. "Oh, sorry," she said. "Did I wake you?"

"No, that's okay," Aika said, sitting up and rubbing your eyes.

The girl smiled. "You're still burning up a little, but you should be okay by tomorrow."

Aika sat up slowly, thankful that she didn't feel too dizzy anymore. "I think I'll go home now. Sorry for the trouble."

"Dress warm and get some rest!"

* * *

"Oh, hey," Yosuke said the next morning before class started. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, much better," Aika replied smiling. "But…"

"But?" Yosuke repeated, raising one eyebrow.

"There was this guy in the health committee," Aika explained. "A first year, I think. I mean, he looked young enough to be one. Anyway, he recognized me as your… _friend_."

"Girlfriend," Yosuke guessed. "Figures. Continue."

"And he said he hated you, and he hated me, and…" Aika reached into her schoolbag and pulled out the pink handkerchief. "He never took this back. So I need to give it back to him."

"First year who hates our guts, huh?" Yosuke asked. Then, as he stared at the handkerchief, he frowned. "Wait, let me see that." He took it from Aika and unfolded it, examining it from different angles. "This is Saki-senpai's. I'm sure of it."

"Wait, _what_?" Aika almost shrieked, because the idea of using a dead girl's handkerchief was so wrong on so many levels.

"But how did you get this? Unless…" His expression turned solemn. "Naoki Konishi. Her brother."

"That was her _brother_?" Aika asked incredulously. Actually, come to think of it, he _did _look a bit like Saki…

"Just forget about it," Yosuke said, handing the handkerchief back to her. "I doubt he'll take it back from you, so just give it to Kanji to give to him later. The two of them were friends back in the day, or so I've heard."

Aika crumpled the handkerchief in her hand. "… No. He let _me_ borrow it, so I should be the one to return it."

"No, seriously, Aika," Yosuke said. "The guy's probably just a giant ball of angst and man pain right now – like me times a hundred – so he'll be—"

"I'll deal with it," Aika said stiffly.

* * *

Aika found him in the hallways after school. "Oh, it's you," he said a bit rudely when he saw her.

"Here," Aika said, held out the handkerchief to him. "This is yours. Thank you for letting me borrow it."

Naoki sighed. "You could've just thrown that away…" he pointed out.

Aika shook her head. "It wouldn't be right."

"This isn't even mine," Naoki said. "It's my sister's."

Aika sighed. "I know…" she said quietly. "That's why."

"What, did Hanamura tell you?" Naoki demanded.

"So what if he did?" Aika shot back.

Still, for reasons Aika didn't understand, he took the handkerchief. "My mom put this in my bag by mistake," he said solemnly as he shoved it in his pocket. "No one ever uses it anymore, so… I'm sure the handkerchief is glad to have been able to fulfill its duty." For the first time, he smiled at her. "Thank you."

Aika couldn't help but blush. "N-No, I should be the one thanking you," she said quickly. "F-For lending this to me, I mean…"

"No, i-it's okay," Naoki said quickly. "Oh, by the way – you probably already know this, but I'm Naoki Konishi."

Aika smiled at him in return. "I'm Aika Nakamura," she said.

"Um… I'm sorry for saying I hated you yesterday."

This threw Aika for a loop. "Oh… um… i-it's okay. Really."

Naoki smiled. "You know, you're not that bad."

Aika smiled sheepishly. "You aren't so bad yourself." And, for the first time in weeks, the voice in her head struck again, but Aika was somehow prepared for it this time.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Hanged Man Arcanum…_

"I'm really sorry," Naoki said again. "I must've made you feel really uneasy, huh? And you were already sick to begin with. I… I quit the Association after that. It's not like I did that great a job at it anyway." He sighed. "Left behind again…"

Aika had never felt more sorry for someone in her entire life. "Um…" she said quietly. "If it's okay with you… maybe we could hang out sometime?"

"H-Huh?" Naoki mumbled. "Like a date? But aren't you already going out with Hanamura?"

"N-No!" Aika almost yelled. "It's not a date! A-And I'm not going out with him either!"

Naoki smiled gently. "Okay. I'm usually by our liquor store at the beginning of the week, so…"

"So I'll see you then," Aika finished. "Bye, Naoki-kun."

* * *

"Ugh, I don't believe this," Aika heard a whiny first year say after school the next day. "I can't believe they let that Tatsumi in here."

"I know, right?" another girl retorted. "I hear he started his own gang and goes around bullying people. How did we get to be in the same class as _him_?"

"Oh no…" Aika whispered as she broke into a run. She finally ran into Kanji outside the Practice Building.

"Oh hey, Senpai, what's up?"

"Are the rumors true?" Aika asked in a rush.

"Wh-What rumors?" Kanji asked.

Aika crossed her arms and glared at him, unable to describe how she got so angry in the first place. "Don't lie to me!" she yelled.

"H-Hey, just wait a…" Kanji began. "C'mon. Let's go talk somewhere else." He led her to the Samegawa Flood Plain and flopped down on the grass. "So what's up?"

"What's this about a gang of bullies?" Aika asked.

"How should I know?" Kanji retorted. "I didn't know we had one of those."

"Really? Because I heard that you were that particular gang's _leader_."

"What, you accusing me or somethin'?" Kanji demanded.

"Yeah, I am!" Aika yelled back.

Kanji rubbed the back of his neck. "S-Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to piss you off… But I didn't do it!"

And then, it occurred to Aika that it was just a stupid rumor that someone had made up about them. "I'm sorry!" she said automatically, bowing to him. "I-It was just something I heard, a-and I panicked, and…"

"No worries," Kanji said, grinning at her. "'S my own fault rumors like that go around, huh? At this rate, I'll be causing trouble for you guys…"

"N-No, that's not…" Aika sighed. "I'm sorry, Kanji-kun. I just… I don't know why…"

"Nah, 's all good, Senpai," Kanji said, grinning. "Hey, listen. D'you think maybe you could hear me out when you've got time? I feel all cramped inside, and I'm too dumb to know what it's about."

Aika giggled. "Yes, of course," she said. And then, all too quickly, the voice in her head struck again.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Emperor Arcanum…_

"To make sure I don't cause any trouble for you…" Kanji said slowly. "Maybe I should smack that gang of bullies around?"

"N-No, that would be bad!" Kanji just laughed, and Aika groaned. "I'm being serious, here…"

* * *

Later that day, the doorbell rang. "Delivery!" a man's voice called from the other side of the door.

"I wonder what that could be," Nanako said.

Aika shrugged and opened the door, revealing a tall, thin man with frown lines on his forehead and dark circles under his eyes. "Aika Nakamura?" he asked.

"Y-Yes?" Aika replied.

"I have a package for you from Tanaka's Amazing Commodities," the man said. Sure enough, a cardboard box lay by his feet. He handed Aika a clipboard with a pen. "Now, if you would sign here…"

"Thank you," Aika said as she signed and picked up the passage.

"Have a nice day," the man said stiffly, as if it were part of some sort of routine, and he made his way back to his large delivery truck. For reasons Aika didn't understand herself, she watched him. But the truck wouldn't start. It made spluttering noises, but refused to judge, and each time the deliveryman tried restarting it, she could hear his curses get louder and louder. Giving up after a fifth try, the man stepped out of the driver seat and sighed heavily.

"Um…" Aika said slowly. "D-Do you want to use our phone?" she asked.

The man stared at her with a strange look in his eyes. "Yes…" he said slowly. "Thank you."

Aika smiled as she let the deliveryman inside the house. "Don't mention it," she said. She led him to the phone, and he dialed a number and pressed the receiver to his ear. "Um… what's your name?"

"Hmm?" the man asked, his dark eyes drifting in her direction. "Oh. Taro Namatame."

"It's nice to meet you, Namatame-san," Aika and Nanako said simultaneously.

Then, Nanako gasped. "I know who you are!" she said. "You're that council secretary who keeps coming on TV!" Namatame stiffened, and Aika elbowed Nanako, giving her cousin a warning look.

"Ah, hello?" Namatame said into the phone. "Yes, my truck won't start… Mmhmm…" And as he talked on the phone, Aika prepared a cup of tea for him.

When he finally hung up, Aika guided him to the living room. "Please, sit down," she said. Namatame obeyed wordlessly, plopping down on the couch, and Aika pressed the teacup into his hands. "Here."

"Ah, thank you," Namatame said quickly before sipping his tea.

But though he remained silent, Aika didn't miss the tension in his shoulders, the frown lines creased on his forehead. "Is everything all right?" she asked.

"Yes, everything's fine," Namatame answered quickly. "But… things are complicated right now. There are people who need me."

"Who?" Nanako asked.

"People whom only I can help," Namatame clarified, "and I must do everything in my power to do so."

Aika smiled gently at him. "That's nice of you to go out of your way to help them like that," she said.

"Thank you, Nakamura-san," he said. "And… Dojima-san, correct?"

"Y-Yeah…" Nanako mumbled. When the voice struck in Aika's head yet again, she was completely confused.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Death Arcanum…_

_… with the delivery man?_ Aika thought. _What? Why?_

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Namatame stood up. "I think that should be for me," he said. "Thank you for your hospitality, Nakamura-san and Dojima-san."

Aika bowed respectfully to him. "It was our pleasure," she said.

When he finally left, Nanako frowned slightly. "He's weird," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Aika replied.

* * *

Chie let out an ear-piercing scream. "Get it off, get it off, get it off!" she shrieked. Aika quickly removed the grasshopper that had secured itself onto Chie's jacket and released it into the grass. Chie gave a tremendous sigh of relief. "Thanks, Aika. I _hate_ bugs…"

"It's okay," Aika said. "My mom hates them too."

"Really? Wow, I thought I was the only one." Chie suddenly laughed. "You know, you're kind of like Yukiko. She's totally fine with bugs… probably because she has to clear them out at the inn or something."

"It's not like I'm _not _scared of them," Aika said. "It's just that if they're not bothering me, then they're not scary."

"So what _are_ you scared of?" Chie asked. "And don't say Shadows."

Aika exhaled sharply and thought for a while. Not bugs, or rodents, or any kind of weapons. But the answer was there, somewhere in the darkest corners of her mind – all she had to do was bring it out to the front. "This is going to sound kind of stupid, but… being alone, I guess."

"That's not stupid," Chie said. "But… you're _not_ alone."

"Yeah, and I never was to begin with," Aika said. "I mean, no matter what, I've always had my family with me, so I have no reason to be so scared, but… I don't know. I'm just scared that something's going to happen that'll take everyone away from me, and…" She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I'm just babbling."

"But it makes sense, though," Chie said. "And it kind of fits you, too."

"You think so?"

Chie nodded. "Yeah, of course. It's weird, though… you tried to push everyone away when you first got here."

Aika's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-You could tell?"

"Only because I've been dealing with Yukiko for so long," Chie replied with a smile. "Back before we became friends, she'd try to just… be on her own all the time. Like, she wouldn't let anyone get close."

"So how did you get close to her?" Aika asked.

Chie laughed nervously. "It's kind of embarrassing. I totally lost it one day and yelled at her for being such a doormat, and she started crying. We've been best friends ever since. But… it's great, having more than one best friend now."

"Huh? Who's the second one?"

"You. Then Yosuke's the third, and Kanji's almost the fourth."

There was a surge of power as Aika smiled. "You're one of my best friends too." And as the minutes ticked by, they talked instead of trained.

* * *

"Welcome home, Big Sis!" Nanako greeted cheerfully as Aika shut the door behind her. "Guess what? I bought a doggy brush at Junes so we can brush Kaede-chan!"

"Ooh, let's brush her today," Aika said excitedly. "You know, it's amazing how she manages to stay out of sight whenever Uncle comes home."

"Why don't we just ask Dad if we can keep her?" Nanako asked.

"Yeah, we should," Aika said, "but he might say no." At that moment, Kaede joined them, slinking by Nanako and resting her head on Aika's lap. "Hi, Kaede-chan. We're going to give you a good grooming today, okay?" Kaede yipped in approval, and Aika and Nanako set to work, and Kaede purred as they brushed her. At long last, Aika managed to brush every corner of Kaede's fur.

"Wow!" Nanako gushed, running her hand down Kaede's back. "It's so soft!"

"You loved that, didn't you, Kaede-chan?" Aika asked. Kaede yipped, and there was yet another surge of power.

"Let's brush her again, Big Sis!"

"Is that okay with you, Kaede-chan?"

The fox yipped happily at them both.

* * *

Later that night, Nanako sat at the table, looking forlorn. "Hey, Big Sis?" she said quietly. "What was Mom like?"

The question caught Aika completely off-guard. "H-Huh?" She never talked about Auntie with _anyone_ – not even with Uncle or her parents.

"I… I don't remember her that well," Nanako admitted. "You and Dad always make her sound like an amazing person, so I want to know."

Aika sat down across from Nanako and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Auntie… she…" _She was more of a mom to me than my real mom was. _"She was the nicest person I've ever known."

"How?" Nanako asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Well…" Aika said slowly. "A lot of this is from before you were born, by the way. She was… She was like my mom, really." _Just say it. _"Sometimes more than my _real_ mom was. She just… She always wanted to take care of everyone. My dad, _your_ dad… my mom never really let Auntie take care of her, but that never stopped her from trying."

"So she just… took care of everyone?"

And then it was as if Nanako wasn't even there, and Aika was finally able to talk freely and unbounded. "She always looked after me, you know. She'd always ask how I was doing, how I was handling moving to new places all the time… one time, she even offered to let me stay here in Inaba with her and Uncle while my parents moved around. I… I would've liked that, but I wanted to be with my parents more than I wanted to stay in one place, so I never did. And I could always talk to her about _anything_. I always thought… that as long as she was there, I'd be okay." _And then she was gone, and I felt so lost and confused… _

"She sounds wonderful," Nanako sighed. "Thank you for telling me about her, Big Sis. It sounds like it was hard for you."

"H-Huh?" Aika stammered. "N-No, it wasn't hard. Don't worry." There was a surge of power just as tears started stinging Aika's eyes. "But… um… can we not talk about this anymore?" Her voice came out strained, and Nanako, noticing her unease, quickly changed the subject.

* * *

That night, sleep eluded Aika entirely, and she made her way downstairs to make herself some tea. And as she did, her mind kept wandering back to her conversation with Nanako. Somewhere along the way, she remembered how good her aunt Chisato's tea was – Auntie would steep the tea leaves themselves in such a way that made the tea so much more flavorful than anything that came from a teabag. And though Aika frequently tried to do the same, she could never quite get it right.

As she sat on the couch, slowly sipping her tea, all she could hear was the ticking of the clock. But somehow, when the front door opened, she barely registered it. "What are you doing up?" she heard Uncle ask, as if from far away.

"I couldn't sleep," Aika said quietly. "A-Are you hungry?"

"No," Uncle said promptly, and Aika couldn't tell if it was because he genuinely wasn't hungry, or because he didn't want her to go through the trouble of making something for him. "What's wrong? Something on your mind?"

"How do you do that?" Aika asked him.

"Do what?" he retorted as he sat down next to her.

"How can you tell whenever I'm caught up with something?" she clarified. "Even Mom and Dad can't do that."

He tweaked her nose like he used to do when she was little and chuckled. "I'm just better at reading you, I guess. Then again, you're pretty easy to read, most of the time. So spill. What's got you all worked up?"

Aika exhaled sharply. "Nanako asked about Auntie today."

Uncle's expression barely changed, but she didn't miss the way his whole body seemed to stiffen. "What did you say?"

"Just… what kind of person she was, I guess," Aika said. "It's all a blur."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close to him. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," she admitted.

Uncle sighed heavily. "I miss her too, you know. Every day."

"Yeah, it's understandable that _you_ still miss her," Aika huffed in annoyance, "but she was my aunt. Not my mom. And it's not like I saw her all that much of her either. It's been more than three years – I should be over this by now."

"It's okay if you're not," Uncle said. "It's okay to miss people, Aika. Even if it's been three years since they first left."

"You're only saying that because you miss her too."

Uncle sighed again and rested his head on top of hers. "Maybe…" Aika couldn't fathom why there was a surge of power then and there.

* * *

Aika piled vegetables into plastic bags at Junes. "Come on, Aika, give us something to do," Chie whined.

"We can cook too," Yukiko said. "What did you say you were making?"

"Curry," Aika said. "I think that'll be the easiest to make up in the mountains. Just leave it to me."

"At least let us help!" Chie said. She reached for a bag of flour and dumped it in Aika's shopping cart.

"You use potato starch to thicken curry, Chie," Aika said flatly. "Not flour."

"You're a real control freak, you know?" Chie moaned.

"Deal with it," Aika shot back. All in all, it was going to be an eventful next couple of days.

* * *

"Are you feeling better, Aika?" Yosuke asked. The two of them sat across from each other at a wooden table, while Chie and Yukiko cooked the food.

Aika buried her face in her arms. "Not really…" she mumbled. The camping trip was supposed to be _fun_. She wasn't supposed to get so carsick on the ride up that she had spend pretty much the entire day alternating between sleeping and trying not to throw up in a tent. And on top of that, she _still_ felt sick to her stomach, and was nearly positive that she'd throw up again if she had to cook for everyone.

"Yeesh, I'm sorry you had to get so sick like that," Yosuke said. "At least you got out of picking up trash, though. That was murder on my back… Someone threw away an entire bike. Damn it, litterers should have to deal with their own garbage!"

"At least you didn't get sick on top of everything…" Aika grumbled.

"Think you'll be able to eat?" Yosuke asked, more concernedly.

"I hope so."

"S-Sorry for the wait…" Chie mumbled as she and Yukiko set two plates out in front of Yosuke and Aika. "We put a lot of love into it…"

"Kinda clichéd, but still awesome!" Yosuke said enthusiastically.

"Sorry, I'm not really hungry," Aika mumbled. And it had nothing to do with the awful smell coming from what was supposed to be curry, either.

"Okay, then!" Yosuke said. "Chow time!" But one bite sent him coughing and spluttering, and Aika buried her face in her arms because the smell was making her stomach turn. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Yosuke yelled. "I mean, what kind of—" A coughing fit cut him off, but he came back with equal force. "Curry's supposed to be 'really spicy' or 'kind of mild'! This just stinks! Didn't you say Aika bought all the ingredients? How could you possibly screw this up?"

"Well, it just didn't mix too well," Chie drawled. "But it _does_ offer a wide variety of textures."

"It's nauseating!" Yosuke yelled.

"Come on!" Chie yelled back. "It's not _that_ bad!"

"If that bus ride didn't kill Aika, this will!" Yosuke yelled.

By then, Aika had had it. She stood up and made her way over to the cooking area, thankful that Chie and Yukiko hadn't used all the ingredients. "Save the rice," she called over her shoulders, only half sure that Chie and Yukiko didn't mess the simplest part up. Within fifteen minutes, she had enough curry for four small portions, though she put more curry on Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko's plates than on her own, since she still wasn't sure if she could stomach it. "Sorry, there isn't much."

"At least it's edible!" Yosuke said as he snarfed down his portion. "Unlike some _other people's_."

"We're really sorry," Yukiko said.

"All right, back to your tents!" Mr. Morooka barked from somewhere on the left. By now, Yosuke was done with his portion and moving onto the second half of Aika's, and Chie and Yukiko were almost done. "Boys' tents are this way, and girls' tents are the other way! C'mon, people, look alive! Youngsters like yourselves should hurry up and get to bed after they eat!"

"I always thought that was bad for you…" Yukiko whispered.

"It's now time for us teachers to have some boo—I mean, err, off to bed! Lights out!"

"Aika, you're amazing," Yosuke said. "Teach them how to cook. Please, I'm begging you."

"I-If they _want_…" Aika said slowly. At that point, they went their separate ways.

* * *

"I don't believe this," Aika said flatly as she lay on her back and stared at the shadows dancing above. "I'm actually hungry."

"Didn't you eat too?" Chie asked.

"Yeah, a _little_," Aika replied. "I wonder if I'll get in trouble if I try cooking some more food."

"You'll set the tent on fire!" Chie yelled. "Or you'll get expelled if you leave the tent!"

Aika sighed and rolled onto her side. "Never mind… So do you guys feel like pulling an all-nighter?"

"Why?" Yukiko asked.

"If I stay up all night, I'll be able to sleep on the ride back, and I won't get carsick," Aika said. "Speaking of which… I thought it was four people to a tent, not three."

"The fourth person bailed," Chie said. "Lucky us, though."

"Hey," a voice whispered from outside. "You guys still up?"

"Senpai…" another voice whispered.

Chie squealed. "That's creeping me out!"

"It's just Yosuke-kun and Kanji-kun," Yukiko pointed out, opening the tent and revealing them crouched on the ground. "Hurry up and come inside."

"What, you guys couldn't sleep either?" Yosuke asked.

"Aika's not letting us," Chie moaned.

"Hey, you're the one that agreed!" Aika cried indignantly.

"So a sleepover, huh?" Kanji asked, settling down and crossing his legs. "Sounds fun."

"Uh, won't we get in trouble for this?" Yukiko asked.

"No worries," Yosuke said. "We'll just sneak out before everyone wakes up tomorrow."

"I can't believe I didn't pack any food…" Aika grumbled.

"What, don't tell me you're hungry," Yosuke said. "Aw man, if I knew that, I would've let you keep the other half of your curry…"

"I've got some animal crackers," Kanji said, opening a plastic bag and holding it out to Aika.

She reached inside and pulled out a cracker shaped like a penguin. "Oh, a penguin," she said.

"W-Wait, don't—" Kanji started, but she already bitten off the head. "DAMMIT, ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

"Be quiet!" Chie hissed.

"Th-That's the ultra-rare penguin!" Kanji moaned. "How could you just _eat _it, Senpai?"

"I-I'm sorry," Aika said. "I didn't know…" She popped the rest of the cracker into her mouth, and Kanji screamed in rage.

"You owe me fifty penguin cookies for this!" Kanji yelled.

"I-I'll see what I can do…" Aika mumbled quietly.

"Yeah, you better!"

* * *

Chie yawned the next morning. "Wow, I can't believe we actually stayed up all night…"

"Tell me about it," Yukiko retorted. "So are you tired, Aika?"

"Yeah…" Aika sighed. "I'll be able to sleep on the bus for sure."

"Hey guys!" Yosuke yelled, waving at them. He stood by a cliff overlooking a small waterfall, with Kanji at his side. "C'mon! Let's go swimming!"

"I'll pass," Chie said.

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Yosuke prodded.

"No thank you," Yukiko said flatly.

"Hey!" Yosuke yelled. "You at least owe it to Aika to get in there!"

"H-Huh?" Aika asked. "Wh-Why are you dragging _me_ into this?"

"Hey, Senpai, you _do_ owe me for eating that penguin…" Kanji muttered dangerously, cracking his knuckles.

"I-I'm really sorry about that…" Aika said.

"It's your fault we had tiny ass portions yesterday," Yosuke pointed out.

"I don't think that warrants a swim," Yukiko said.

"Besides, we didn't bring any swimsuits," Chie added.

Yosuke flashed a mischievous smile, and seemingly out of nowhere, he and Kanji pulled out three bikinis. "We've got you covered."

"A-Are you serious?" Chie yelled.

"They're Junes-brand originals, from our brand new line of swimwear that just came in for the summer," Yosuke said proudly. "I had a clerk friend of mine choose 'em for me. Pretty swanky, huh?"

"Dude, that's just wrong…" Chie said.

"Did you have those this whole time?" Yukiko asked.

Kanji stomped over to Aika and handed her the swimsuit he was holding – an eggplant-colored bikini. "This one's yours, Aika-senpai."

"B-But I…" Aika protested weakly, stepping away from him.

"Ultra. Rare. Penguin."

"I'm sorry!"

"C'mon, let's all go swimming!" Yosuke said. And there really was no avoiding it now.

Aika wanted to die. She didn't think she could ever feel worse than she did the previous day or the time after she first went inside the TV, but this little incident sorely proved her wrong. The bikini Yosuke had gotten her was slightly loose, which forced her to tie it tighter around herself… which, in turn, accentuated curves that were otherwise invisible.

"Whoa…" Yosuke said as his eyes shifted from her, to Yukiko, to Chie. "… Man…" Kanji's face was bright red, and Aika stared downward, blushing as well.

"S-Stop staring at us like that!" Chie said.

"H-Hey…" Yukiko said quietly, blushing.

"C-Can I change back now…?" Aika mumbled.

"Ultra. Rare. Penguin."

"I'm sorry…" She exhaled sharply as she swung her arms back, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Okay… Let's get this over with…" She took a few steps back, and then ran off the edge of the cliff, cannonballing into the river below. The water was icy cold, and though she was shivering and her teeth were chattering, she laughed. "Come on in!" she called to her friends. "The water's great!"

"Well, if you say so…" Kanji said before diving in. He submerged coughing and spluttering and shivering. "What the—It's freezing in here! Senpai, you lied!" Aika simply stuck her tongue out at him. But by now, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko had dived in with them.

Aika laughed again. "This was a great trip," she said, staring up at the blue sky.

* * *

"So, how was the school camping trip?" Fuuji Nakamura asked on the phone that night.

"Man, I hated that thing," Masami said – they were on speakerphone, evidently. "The only fun part was swimming the morning after. Did you swim, Aika?"

"Yeah, we did," Aika said. "I ate a penguin animal cracker, and Kanji-kun got really mad—"

"You _ate_ the ultra-rare penguin?" both her parents demanded simultaneously.

"… Yeah…" Aika said quietly.

"Aika, how _could _you?"

"I'm sorry…"

Her mother laughed. "Nah, we're just kidding," she said.

"Only not really, because you have no idea just how long I've been searching for that damn penguin," her father added.

"So how are things in France?" Aika asked.

"The food is unbelievable," her mother said. "Nothing compared to your cooking, of course, but still. You have _got_ to try a croissant here."

"And the _coffee_," her father gushed.

"And the _foie gras_…" her mother added.

"You guys are making me hungry…" Aika whined. And as power surged within her, Aika hung up with her parents soon afterward and finally went to bed.

* * *

Aika finally mustered the courage to go back to the Velvet Room the next day. "Welcome," Igor said as she entered with his usual cryptic smile, while Margaret refused to look in her direction altogether.

Aika reached into the bag slung on her shoulder and pulled out two bentos. "U-Um… this is for you…" She handed one of them to Igor.

"Ah, how nice," the long-nosed man said as he opened the lid and sniffed it for all its worth.

Aika turned to Margaret, who still refused to look at her. "U-Um… Th-This one's yours, M-Margaret."

"Thank you," Margaret said stiffly, taking the bento and placing it next to her, all while refusing to meet Aika's gaze.

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled self-consciously. "I… I-I'm sorry about last time… I-I didn't know the p-previous guest here was such a t-touchy subject, a-and I didn't think, s-so…"

Margaret finally looked at her, an almost pained expression on her face. "Come," she said patting the seat next to her. "Sit with me." Aika obeyed, yet she sat completely still. "I'm not angry about what you asked me. You, by all means, have every right to know what happened to Master Makoto. The problem is what you said _afterward_. You said you wanted to be like her, and that is something I cannot allow."

"Why not?" Aika asked, despite herself.

Margaret sighed heavily. "Because Master Makoto is _dead_. She sacrificed her life to save the world. And though I want _you_ to save the world as well, I cannot allow you to sacrifice your life to do so."

Aika stared downward, unsure of what to make of what Margaret just told her. "You sound like you knew her really well…" she whispered.

"I didn't," Margaret said. "Actually, I never met her at all… but, as I said before, my brother was close to her. And he was devastated after what happened, so I resolved to never let that happen again with future guests to the Velvet Room. And because you are the first since Master Makoto, I must take extra care." Margaret sighed. "I am not angry with you, Master Aika. All I want is for you to be more cautious than Master Makoto ever was."

"Thank you…" Aika said quietly. "Thank you for… caring about me, on that level."

Margaret smiled gently to her. "It's difficult for me _not_ to." The surge of power indicating a leveled up Social Link almost killed the moment entirely.

* * *

"That concludes Rise Kujikawa's statement regarding her temporary leave of absence from the entertainment industry," said the agency spokesman on TV. "We're short on time, so if anyone has any remaining questions, we ask that you please keep them brief."

"I'm Ishioka from Lady's View," said another man's voice. "It says here that you'll be recuperating – are you facing physical problems?"

A girl with reddish brown hair pulled back into two ponytails appeared on the screen. "No, my health isn't an issue," she said quietly.

"Psychological problems, then?" Ishioka prodded.

"What?" the girl, Rise, no doubt, asked.

"Rumor has it that you'll be staying with your relatives, but isn't that in Inaba, where the murders have been taking place?"

"Huh? Um…"

"Is it true that they run a traditional tofu shop? Will you be helping out with the family business?"

"No more questions!" the agency spokesman interjected. "This press conference is over! Clear the way, please!"

The press conference erupted in to chaos, and Uncle reduced the volume. "Is Rise-chan quitting her job on TV?" Nanako asked.

"Who knows?" Uncle retorted. "But if this is her hometown, we'll have to deal with everyone who's trying to get a glimpse…"

A jingle came on TV, indicating a commercial break. "I'm tired of diets!" Aika heard the same girl from the report before say cheerfully. "Enough with going to the gym! Good thing there's something even _I _can handle!"

"Quelorie Magic is made for those worried about their calorie intake and body fat," said another voice on the commercial. "It'll slim you down in no time!"

"So she's an idol?" Aika asked.

The result was instantaneous. Uncle raised one slightly accusing eyebrow at her, and Nanako gasped dramatically. "You've _never_ heard of _Rise Kujikawa_?" she asked.

"Um…" Aika said quietly. "I've _heard of_ her, but I've never really…"

Without warning, Nanako sprang up and yanked on Aika's arm, pulling her upstairs. "I'm going to tell you everything there is to know about Rise-chan!" she proclaimed. And all the while, Aika could _swear_ she could hear Uncle laughing.

* * *

Kanji walked up to them after school the next day. "Yo," he said stiffly.

"Hey, there he is!" Chie said cheerfully. "You've been coming to school often lately. What's up?"

"It's this annoying thing called the _mandatory attendance policy_," Kanji groaned. "So hey, you guys see the news?"

"Oh, that stuff about Rise Kujikawa taking a break from showbiz?" Chie asked. "I wonder why. She was just getting popular lately…"

"Just goes to show that being an idol is tough work," Yosuke said.

"They were all ganging up on her…" Aika mumbled, thinking back to that one particularly persistent magazine reporter. "Why would anyone want to put themselves through that?"

"To become famous, duh," Chie said.

"It hasn't been that long since her debut, but she'll be a top-class idol in no time!" Yosuke said. "To be honest, I'm a fan, too. She's such a cutie pie!"

"A cutie pie?" Chie repeated. "What are you, eighty? But I think she used to live here, so she must have a lot of local fans."

"Nanako really likes her, at least," Aika said. "She gave me an entire crash course on all of Rise's work yesterday."

"The news said she's going to her grandmother's tofu shop, right?" Yukiko asked. "Do they mean Marukyu?"

"Wait, does that mean I can meet Rise if I go to her tofu shop?" Yosuke asked, sounding awed.

"I doubt it," Aika replied. "Uncle mentioned something about dealing with people who want to meet her, since she's coming back here. So there's probably going to be police everywhere. But that's not really the point."

"Huh?" Kanji asked. "What're you talking about?"

"Did you forget about the murders?" Chie demanded. "The connection between the victims might be the TV, remember? She could be the next target!"

"C'mon, it's not like Rise started showing up on TV just recently," Yosuke pointed out. "Also, how could Rise be connected to the incidents so far?"

"I did some research," Yukiko said. "It seems that Rise had no personal interaction with Ms. Yamano. They've just been on the same show once or twice."

"So if our assumptions are correct, she fits the pattern," Yosuke said. "She'll probably be targeted next. And if she is, that narrows down the killer's methods even further."

"What does that mean?" Kanji asked.

"If Rise is next, then that lets us rule out our theory that the targets have to be connected with the first case," Aika answered. "Right?"

"Right," Yukiko said. "And that means the killer's targets are people who've been shown on TV recently."

"All right!" Yosuke said excitedly. "Now we have to keep a close eye on everything Rise does!"

"You sound excited about this…" Aika muttered. "We should also start heading back into the TV to train, since we might have to do another rescue soon."

"Good idea," Chie said. "We've got this one in the bag!"

* * *

"Zio!" Kanji yelled as he vanquished the Shadow in front of him with a bolt of lightning. "Who comes up with these names anyway? 'Agi'? 'Garu'? 'Bufu'? 'Zio'? The hell?"

"Why don't _you_ come up with something, then?" Yosuke asked, a hint of exasperation to his voice.

"Yeah, I can see it now…" Kanji said. "How about…" He ran toward another Shadow a little ways away and held his fist in the air. "Steelguard!" But nothing happened. As Aika went to cover him, the Shadow diverted all its attention to her.

"Hang in there, Aika!" Chie yelled as she ran over and tried to divert the Shadow's attention. "Kanji-kun! Kanji-kun! Don't just stand there!"

"Easy, Senpai, I got this…" Kanji said. "Steelguard!"

"It's not doing anything, so stop it!" Aika snapped at him as she destroyed the Shadow with a strike from her rod.

It was only the numerous videos Nanako had forced Aika to watch the previous night that allowed Aika to identify Rise Kujikawa on the Midnight Channel. It was only her silhouette, but it was definitely her. But for some reason, the camera kept zooming in on her hips and thighs…

And, as per routine, Yosuke called immediately afterward. "Hey, did you see that?" he asked. "That was Rise for sure! Rise Kujikawa!"

"Don't _you_ sound excited about this…" Aika muttered.

"Oh…" Yosuke said slowly. "There's a chance she might get kidnapped, huh?"

"A pretty high chance, since we've never actually _stopped_ the kidnapper before," Aika deadpanned.

"Why do you have to be like that, Aika?" Yosuke whined.

"Hey, did you hear?" Aika heard a girl in her class ask after school. "It looks like Rise Kujikawa really is here! You know the tofu store Marukyu? The owners of that place have the same last name: Kujikawa!"

"Seriously?" a boy retorted. "Hey, I practically live next door!"

"I've been hearing that there's a big crowd at Marukyu," Yukiko muttered as Aika gradually tuned out the other students' conversation.

"I'm not surprised," Chie deadpanned. "But was it really her on yesterday's Midnight Channel? Didn't she seem a little… different?"

"It was her!" Yosuke practically shouted, a bit to excitedly. "No doubt about it!" Aika shot him a glare, and Yosuke grinned sheepishly at her. "A-Anyway, I'm positive it was her!"

"Uh…" Kanji mumbled. "Are we going? I don't really care about celebrities, but it's not like I got anything better to do… Sure, I'll tag along."

"We're not going to get in!" Aika interjected. "If there's already a huge crowd there, there's no way they'll let us in!"

"You guys are on your own," Chie said flatly. "Sorry, but me and Yukiko have plans. Give us a call if anything comes up."

Aika sighed heavily as Chie and Yukiko walked off. "Okay… I think I'll try that new tofu recipe today. What do you say we… go buy some tofu?" She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder.

Yosuke put his arm around her shoulder and grinned mischievously. "Aika-chan? You're a genius."

* * *

The three walked to Marukyu's, and, sure enough, there was a large group of people huddled outside. And just at the curb was… "Adachi-san?" Aika said, tilting her head to the side.

"Huh?" Yosuke asked "Um, Mr. Detective, did something happen?"

"Oh, it's you guys," Adachi said absentmindedly. "Ai yi yi… These gawkers keep streaming in with their cars, trying to park in the middle of the shopping district."

"Why's that?" Kanji asked.

"Don't you know?" Adachi retorted. "Rise Kujikawa's here. Hey, did you see her already? Is she there? Which is it?"

"Um…" Aika mumbled. "We're just here to buy some tofu…"

Adachi smirked at her. "Sure you are, Aika-chan."

"Wait just a minute!" Kanji shouted. "Why's a plainclothes detective here doing traffic control?"

"Oh!" Adachi gasped. "Uh, well… The Inaba Police Department isn't that big, and we don't have enough staff… Speaking of which, I still have work to do, so I'll see you later." And with that, he shuffled away, a little too quickly.

"Dude…" Yosuke whispered. "You managed to scare off a police detective on active duty…"

"I wasn't trying to scare the guy," Kanji replied. "I just said what I was thinking."

"But it _is_ weird for the police to come out like this," Aika pointed out. "Maybe they think Rise might be the next target too?"

"All right, clear out," Aika suddenly heard her uncle's voice from inside the tofu shop. "Coming through… Hey, Adachi!" Uncle walked out of the shop, gazing about the crowd for his partner. "Damn it… I told him not to leave his post…" Aika wanted to sink into the floor as Uncle inevitably saw her.

"H-Hi Uncle!" Aika greeted awkwardly. "We're just here to buy some tofu."

He leveled her with a flat stare. "Yeah," he said disbelievingly. "Right."

Aika leveled him with an equally flat stare. "I didn't even know who Rise Kujikawa was until Nanako told me about her a couple days ago," she pointed out. "Oh, speaking of which – do you think you'll be coming home tonight?"

"Could go either way," Uncle replied with a sigh. "I'm sure you guys already know this, but Rise Kujikawa's in there. Don't bother them too much. She might be a celebrity, but this is her home." He threw his coat over his shoulder. "I need to head back to the precinct."

"Bye Uncle!" Aika said, waving at him as he left.

"That cop's your uncle, eh…?" Kanji whispered, as soon as Uncle was out of earshot. "So he knows about the whole club situation, huh? That's why he didn't say anything when he saw me."

"Yeah…" Aika mumbled. "I hate lying to him like this…"

"It's not a _complete_ lie," Yosuke assured her. "You really are going to pick up tofu, right? We just… happen to have another agenda too."

"It looks like he suspects you guys," Kanji pointed out.

"So if we say anything about the other world, we'll only look more suspicious," Yosuke replied. "They'll be watching us all the time."

"Man, this blows!" someone at the front of the crowd yelled. "There's no one in there but the old lady! Risette isn't here after all…"

"I heard that she really is already here, but it might've just been a rumor," another man said. "Well, it was fun while it lasted."

And with that, the crowd slowly cleared out, leaving an empty doorway to the tofu shop. "A rumor?" Yosuke yelled. "What, she's not here? Seriously?"

"You sound like the world's about to end," Kanji scoffed.

"Shut up!" Yosuke shouted back.

"I'm still going in," Aika said, climbing the stairs to the tofu shop. "Speaking of which… you can't eat tofu, right Yosuke? I'll buy ganmodoki instead."

"Aw, thanks Aika!" Yosuke said. "Wait… what's ganmodoki? Is that the one with the rice cake in it?"

"There's no rice cakes in 'em," Kanji retorted. "They're sorta like… fried tofu patties with veggies and stuff mixed in, and—"

"Oh, gotcha," Yosuke interrupted him. "I know what you mean! I think I can eat that." The store was practically empty, except for someone bent over some merchandise in the back of the store. "Aw, man…" Yosuke whined. "Guess she really isn't here."

"Why don't you just ask if she's in back?" Kanji suggested. "'Scuse me!"

"Yes, may I help you?" an old lady asked, only the person in the back didn't react at all.

Sure enough, an old lady had approached them from the side. "What the—" Yosuke muttered. "Then who's that?"

The girl in the back of the store finally turned around, looking slightly irritated. "What?"

And, just like that, Aika could practically feel the blood draining from her face. Though she wasn't wearing nearly as much makeup as she usually did on TV, and her hair wasn't as meticulously styled, the resemblance was uncanny. It was Rise Kujikawa. All of a sudden, Aika's words died in her throat, and she stared at her feet while subtly trying to hide behind Yosuke and Kanji. Even though she didn't know much about Risette, she was still in the presence of a _celebrity_.

Kanji stepped forward, blowing Aika's cover. "Are you Rise?" he asked.

"Yeah," the girl replied. "So?"

"No way…" Yosuke gasped as he ran toward her. "Are you really Risette?"

"What do you want?" Rise almost whined.

"Gamodoki!" Aika squeaked, suddenly turning everyone's attention on herself. "U-Um… We're just here… to buy some gamodoki… if that's okay…" She felt like her face was on fire, and she couldn't bring herself to look anywhere but at her feet.

"Okay, how many?" Rise asked.

"U-Um… S-Six, please…" Aika stammered.

"Okay, I'll go get them," Rise said before making her way over to one corner of the store.

"Wow…" Yosuke whispered. "She's nothing like she seems on TV… I wonder if she's just tired…"

Rise handed Aika a plastic bag. "That'll be twelve hundred yen."

Aika's hands were shaking as she handed Rise the money. "U-Um… Th-Thank you… S-Sorry for bothering you!"

She shuffled towards the door, only to be interrupted by Yosuke. "Wait, we haven't done what we came for yet!" He turned to Rise, smiling sheepishly. "Uh, I know this is a pretty strange thing to ask, but have you noticed anything weird lately?"

"Weird?" Rise echoed. "Like stalkers? Are you guys fans of mine?"

"I wouldn't say 'we,' but yeah, dude here's a big fan," Kanji replied, slapping Yosuke on the back.

"Wh-Why would you say that?" Yosuke yelped. "A-Anyway, maybe you know already, but it's been dangerous in Inaba lately. That's why we've been investigating some stuff."

"Oh yeah?" Rise asked listlessly.

"Sorry…" Yosuke mumbled. "Let's see… Do you know about the TV show that comes on at midnight? I mean, it's not like regularly scheduled programming… How do I explain this…?"

"U-Um…" Aika piped up. "I-It's called the Midnight Channel."

"Yeah, I've heard about that," Rise replied. "I heard the rumors from some friends of mine. But that girl last night wasn't me. I've never been filmed wearing that swimsuit before. And the bustline… M-Mine aren't that big."

"Oh yeah, I can see that…" Yosuke mused. "W-Wait, never mind! I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize so much," Rise said with a giggle. "What's that show about anyway?"

"W-We don't really know…" Aika mumbled, feeling a little more confident. "It's… um… We…"

"We think the people who appear there are the ones who get kidnapped next," Yosuke filled in for her.

"I'm sorry…" Aika mumbled. "W-We're not lying…"

"Huh…" Rise said. "So that wasn't a dream. I was tired yesterday, but I couldn't sleep. And it was raining, so I decided to try the rumor I'd heard about… Hmm… All right. Thanks… I'll be careful."

"Um… Th-Thank you for the ganmo, a-and thanks for listening," Aika said, bowing.

As she, Kanji, and Yosuke exited the tofu shop, Yosuke elbowed her in the shoulder. "What were you getting all shy for?" he asked.

"She's kind of… well… _famous_," Aika replied, clutching the bag of ganmo tightly.

"You didn't get this nervous when we met Kanji," Yosuke pointed out.

"What?" Kanji yelled indignantly. "So a freakin' idol's scarier than me?"

Aika could _swear_ she heard Rise giggle at that.

* * *

As it turned out, Uncle _did_ come home that night… with a bag of tofu. "We sure have a lot of tofu," Nanako pointed out helpfully during dinner.

"Yeah, it tastes great," Uncle said distractedly, his mouth half full.

"Thank you, Uncle," Aika said with a smile, popping a piece of tofu into her mouth.

"So did you get to meet Rise Kujikawa today?" Uncle asked so nonchalantly that Aika wanted to tear her hair out.

"H-Huh?" Aika mumbled.

"Oh, come on," Uncle said. "It was really obvious. "You just wanted to meet a celebrity."

"… Maybe…"

Nanako gasped loudly. "You guys _met_ Rise-chan?" she asked.

"Yup," Uncle replied. "She said something interesting, though. That two guys and a girl in high school warned her that she might be kidnapped." Aika froze. "That was you, wasn't it?"

She exhaled sharply, wondering how she could spin this around to divert any potential suspicion from his end. "I just… My friends and I have been analyzing the murders a lot, and we noticed that she had a lot in common with the recent victims. We just thought we should warn her. That's all."

"Wow…" Uncle said. "You guys actually figured that out? Good for you. Come join the force when you graduate."

Aika almost sighed in relief. Crisis averted.

* * *

"So about the Midnight Channel last night," Yosuke said at Junes the next day after school, "that had to be Rise Kujikawa. It even showed her face this time."

"So now we know for sure that people being broadcasted on TV are being targeted," Aika said.

"So does this mean we can rule out the assumption that all the victims are connected to the incident with Ms. Yamano?" Yukiko asked.

"Exactly," Yosuke replied. "As for Rise, I took a peek this morning, and she was still at the shop. So I'm guessing that that 'TV show' thing doesn't appear on the Midnight Channel until after the person enters the TV."

"That's true," Aika said. "With Kanji-kun, we saw him in town before his… special program came on."

"And Teddie said that it might be the victim's own creation upon entering that world," Chie added. "The one that shows up on TV is your Shadow. Princess Yukiko, Kanji-kun in a bath towel… But we see them on the Midnight Channel before they disappear too. You know, when it's really fuzzy and you can't tell who it is. How do you explain that part?"

"Yeah, it always happens before the person disappears," Yosuke said. "Like an advance notice."

"Or like a ransom note," Chie said. "But who are they announcing it to? And for what?"

"Is it possible that we see those images for the same reason?" Yukiko asked. "If the Midnight Channel shows the victim's true feelings… maybe it does the same for the culprit. Maybe what we're seeing is the culprit's intentions."

"So it _is_ a ransom note," Aika said. "Besides – if the killer's throwing people into the TV, then they must have the same power that we do."

"So… when the killer thinks, 'I'm gonna attack someone now,' that's what we see on TV?" Chie asked.

"I don't know about that…" Yukiko said.

"Well, if we're gonna go that far with it, we might as well say that's the basis for that entire world," Yosuke said. "Like it's just some kinda mix of the minds of the victims and the killer… or maybe it's everyone's minds?"

"Thinking about this is giving me a headache…" Aika complained. "Kanji-kun, are you okay? You haven't said a word."

"Huh?" the first year mumbled. "Uh… Well, um…"

"You weren't sleeping, were you?" Chie demanded.

"O-Of course not!" Kanji yelled. "I was uh, lost in thought! But… why are we thinking so much about _that_ world anyway? It's not like we _have_ to know, and it'd be a lot easier if we just stopped thinking about it."

"But why would the culprit throw people inside the TV in the first place?" Yukiko asked.

"They must know by now that people die when they're in there long enough," Yosuke said. "There's no doubt it's attempted murder. So the TV's a good way to do that, because the police can never prove anything about the crime."

"Murder, huh?" Kanji asked. "So the killer's got a grudge against certain people? Well, I know there's a shitload of people who've got my number. What about you, Yukiko-senpai? Anyone hate you so bad that they'd get rid of you forever?"

"No," Yukiko replied automatically.

"Uh, Yukiko…" Chie said uncertainly. "There's always a slight chance and you just don't realize it…"

"Yeah, like Chie could suddenly get so jealous of you that she'd call a hitman on you," Yosuke said.

"Not this again…" Aika muttered. "But I can't think of anyone who'd have something against both Yukiko _and_ Kanji-kun."

"That's not even getting into Ms. Yamano and Saki-senpai, either…" Yosuke said. "But on the bright side, we have another shot at getting ahead of the killer. We can leave the motive aside for now."

"Oh, by the way…" Aika quipped. "My uncle now knows that we talk about the murders a lot."

"How?" Kanji asked.

"You know how he was outside Marukyu yesterday? After we left, Rise apparently told him what we told her. So I… sort of told him the truth."

"He's not mad, is he?" Chie asked.

"No. Actually, he was kind of impressed that we figured out this much, and he wants us to join the police when we graduate high school."

"But now we know for sure that Rise's in danger," Yosuke said. "Especially if your uncle thinks so too."

"Does this mean we get to do another stakeout?" Chie asked a little excitedly.

"Hell yeah!" Yosuke replied just as enthusiastically. "This time, we'll catch 'em in the act!"

* * *

"Come on out, you bastard," Adachi said as soon as he stepped outside the tofu shop. "We're ready for you."

"Oh…" Aika said as soon as she saw him. "Hi there, Adachi-san."

"Hey, Aika-chan!" Adachi replied. "What brings you guys here?"

"We were just going to see Rise-chan," Yosuke said.

"I'm just doing some leg work," Adachi said. "It's not like Dojima-san ordered me here or anything…"

"Look up there!" Yukiko gasped suddenly, pointing at a man climbing up on a telephone pole. The man saw them immediately and slid down, taking off running as soon as he hit the ground.

"Hey, he's running away!" Chie yelled.

"Get back here!" Kanji roared. And they all took off running after the man on the telephone pole, who always remained a few paces ahead of them. "Stop running, dammit!"

"D-Don't come near me!" the man stammered.

"Shaddup!" Kanji yelled. "What kinda idiot would listen to—"

"I-I'll do it, you know!" the suspicious man said. "What're you gonna do if I get run over?"

"N-No!" Adachi yelled. "If the suspect gets injured, the police will be held responsible. They'll get really angry, and…"

"I'll do it, I swear!" the man whimpered. "S-So get outta here and stop chasing me!"

"Ready, Kanji?" Yosuke asked.

The first year nodded in response. "Ready."

Yosuke pointed out into the street. "Look over there! A Martian!" The man turned around, and Yosuke and Kanji promptly tackled him to the ground.

"H-How dare you assault an ordinary citizen like—"

"Shut the hell up, murderer!" Kanji yelled. "We're taking your punk ass in!"

"Wh-What?" the man stammered. "What do you mean, 'murderer'?"

"It's no use playing dumb!" Chie yelled.

"W-Wait a second!" the man whimpered. "I just really like Risette, so I wanted to take a peek in her room… Look, see! All I've got on me is a bunch of cameras!"

"Yep," Adachi said. "You're the culprit, all right. No two ways about it. All right, I'll take it from here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "We'll hear your story down at station… Oh, how I've waited to use that line!"

"P-Please, let me go! I didn't do anything wrong! I-I know for a fact it's not a crime in this country to take secret pictures!"

"Hey!" Adachi snapped. "Don't you understand what's happening here? You're under suspicion of murder! Come with me! We'll talk about this later!" As he handcuffed the man, Adachi smiled at the group. "I gotta thank you guys for all your help! Well done!"

"Oh… sure!" Yosuke said.

"But you really should stop getting involved in this stuff," Adachi said seriously. "Especially you, Aika-chan. Dojima-san's worried sick." He turned to glare at the man. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Is it… really over?" Yosuke asked dazedly as Adachi walked away.

"Rest is up to the cops…" Kanji said quietly.

"Looks like the killer was a pervert, just like we thought," Chie said.

"I don't know…" Aika said slowly. "Something doesn't feel right…"

"We should let Rise know the good news," Yukiko suggested as they passed by Marukyu.

As if on cue, Rise's grandmother walked outside. "Oh, hello," she said. "Would you like some tofu?"

"Oh…" Aika said quietly. "Um…"

"Oh, did you come to see Rise?" the old woman asked. "She seems to have gone out, unfortunately."

"Huh?" Yosuke asked. "But wasn't she just here?"

"She does that sometimes," the old woman said. "She'll just wander out without saying a word… You must forgive her. She's quite worn out, in many ways."

"She left… without saying anything?" Aika said faintly.

"C'mon, you worry too much!" Adachi said. "She must've just stepped out."

"What… but we caught the guy!" Chie protested.

"I know, right?" Adachi asked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta take this guy in for questioning. Man, I can't wait to see the look on Dojima-san's face!"

"We need to look for her," Aika said hurriedly as soon as Adachi left. "She can't have gone far." But no one could find her anywhere. "This can't be happening…"

"I hope we're wrong…" Yosuke said solemnly.

"Well, we did everything we can," Kanji said. "No use griping about it. The weatherman says it's gonna rain tonight, so let's just keep our fingers crossed and tune in."

* * *

A vivid image appeared on the Midnight Channel that night. "'Maru-Q!'" said the girl on the screen. "'Push Risette!' Good evening, good evening! I'm Rise Kujikawa!" She bent down, and the camera offered a generous view of her cleavage, prompting Aika to look away. "This spring, one young girl levels up to become a high school idol… Yay! So today, I'm gonna celebrate by pushing the limits of Standards and Practices! Does everybody know what time it is? Showtime! Show what, huh? Hmhmhm… E-very-thing!" Rise giggled as she turned her back to the camera. "How embarrassing! IS this too hot for TV?" She looked back to the camera over her shoulder. "Well, if a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing all the way! I'm gonna bare it all! Stay tuned!"

Aika almost didn't want to answer Yosuke's ensuing phone call, but she did anyway. "This is getting way out of hand," she moaned.

"Tell me about it," Yosuke replied. "Damn it, we shouldn't be getting used to this…"

"So tomorrow, we're going to rescue her," Aika said. "Right?"

"Duh," Yosuke answered.

* * *

"Hey, Teddie!" Chie greeted as soon as they landed in the TV world the next day. "You okay?"

"I wasn't crying…" Teddie said with his back turned to everyone. Then he unceremoniously flopped over onto his stomach. "Everyone was having fun out there. You forgot about me… I was abandoned."

"We would never do that!" Chie said.

"Were you lonely?" Yukiko asked.

"I was bored," Teddie said. "It made me all listless. I'm a useless bear. I don't even know what I am… I couldn't figure it out. It's all about training when you guys come in here. No one ever comes just to visit me… Then I thought I heard voices from your world. They were all having so much fun… I was so lonely that I tried to cry, but I couldn't!"

"Well, you _are_ hollow inside," Yosuke pointed out.

"Yosuke!" Aika yelled, smacking his arm.

"Shut up!" Teddie cried. "Stop saying I'm hollow!"

"Don't snap at me!" Yosuke yelled to Teddie. "You're the one who said you just wanted to live here peacefully, and made us promise to find the culprit!"

"I'm sorry, Teddie," Aika said sincerely, hugging the bear. "I promise, I'll come visit you. Then you won't have to think so much."

"Aw, Teddie…" Yukiko said as she and Chie started petting his fur.

"Can I try scoring with you three some day?" Teddie asked glumly.

"Sure," Chie said. "Go right ahead."

"Can we please drop the whole 'scoring' thing?" Yukiko deadpanned.

"Okay, back to business," Yosuke said sharply. "Did a girl called Rise Kujikawa show up in here? Can you sense anything?"

"Rise Kujikawa?" Teddie repeated. "Hmm…"

"You can't tell?" Yosuke asked incredulously. "Your nose is kinda losing its edge lately, huh?"

"I can't smell her that well, but I can _hear_ her," Teddie said. "She's really loud. But _anyone _could hear her here… I'm a pretty shabby bear. Soon, I won't be useful at all. Then I'll be thrown away…"

"That won't happen," Aika said, patting his head. "I promise. Actually, now that you mention it…" Off in the distance, she could hear… party music, almost. "I can hear it too."

"It's like she's _used _to being on TV," Teddie said. "Yuki-chan and Kanji were never _this_ loud."

"That's 'cause she's an idol," Kanji said. "TV is her _life_."

"She's that-a-way!" Teddie said, spinning around and pointing to the right.

"All right, let's go," Yosuke said, and Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji followed him.

Aika stayed behind with Teddie. "Are you sure you're okay, Teddie?"

"There's a lot of things I don't understand…" he said glumly.

"We'll help you figure things out," Aika told him. "Don't worry."

"Thank you beary much," Teddie said. "You're really kind, Aika-chan. I'll try even harder from now on!"

Aika pat his head again. "Thank you, Teddie." And, all of a sudden, the voice in her head struck again.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Star Arcanum…_

Teddie tugged on her hand, snapping her out of her daze. "Come on, Aika-chan! Let's go!"

* * *

"What is this place?" Chie asked as they finally entered the source of all the noise. "It's all dark…" Suddenly, lights flashed on, revealing a room entirely in red and pink, with a stage. "Whoa! Is this a…?"

"Oh, like the kind you always find in resort towns?" Yosuke asked excitedly.

"Yup," Aika deadpanned. "Definitely."

"Ah, I think you're right," Yukiko said. "Oh, b-but we don't have one. Our in is _not _like that…"

"Huh," Kanji said. "So this is a strip joint, eh?"

"Strip?" Teddie asked. "Oh, I know what that is! It's the thing zebras have, right?"

"N-Not exactly…" Aika said quietly.

"Strip…" Teddie said again. "Like a zebra, right? Right?"

"It's so bright in here…" Yukiko complained. "Even with the glasses on, my eyes hurt."

"Doesn't anyone get the joke?" Teddie whined. "Okay, let's try one more time… Strip… It's something zebra's have…"

"Can anyone shut this thing up?" Chie ranted.

"Huh?" Yukiko asked. "Zebra? Worry, what're we talking about?"

Teddie turned away, looking forlorn. "I-I won't say it again… Let's hurry on…"

* * *

Sure enough, behind a pink curtain, Rise and her Shadow where there before a pole on a stage. The Shadow laughed as everyone ran forward. "They're all watching!" it said excitedly. "All eyes are on me now!"

"Stop it!" the real Rise cried.

"Rise-san!" Aika called.

"Aw, what's the matter?" the Shadow taunted. "You wanna show your stuff, don'tcha? How's this?" The Shadow slinked around the pole, and Aika was almost positive that Yosuke's jaw had dropped open at this point and Kanji had a nosebleed.

"Please…" the real Rise begged. "Stop this…"

The Shadow laughed mercilessly. "Ooh, she wants me to stop! That's so funny! As if that's even close to what you're _really _thinking, you little _skank_! You're me, and obviously, I'm you!"

"No… That's not true!"

The Shadow laughed again, and a shiver ran down Aika's spine. "C'mon, look! You can't tear your eyes away! This is me! This is who I really am! Not Risette, the fake celebrity! Look at the girl right in front of you!"

"Poor thing…" Yukiko whispered.

"I'm sick of being some airhead cliché who chokes down everything she's fed and takes it all with a smile!" the Shadow ranted. "'Risette'? Who the hell is she? There's no such person in this world! I'm no one but myself! C'mon, look at me!"

"That's not—" Rise whimpered. "I-I…"

"Rise-san!" Aika cried, running forward to the girl.

"Well then, I guess it's time to prove it," the Shadow said. "I'm gonna show it all off! Let my naked truth be burned into your brains!"

Rise stood up, covering her ears. "Stop! Stop it! You're…"

"No, don't!" Aika yelled.

"You're not me!"

Darkness swirled around the Shadow, and Aika assumed a protective stance in front of Rise. "Get back!" she yelled as she called Aoandon in front of her.

The Shadow laughed. "I'm finally free!" And, in the blink of an eye, the Shadow attached itself to the ceiling. It had Rise's ponytails, but it was entirely naked, with a rainbow-colored body and a satellite for a face, swinging back and forth.

"Aika, be careful!" Yosuke yelled.

"I am a Shadow… the true self!"

"Persona!" Aika yelled as she mentally commanded Aonadon to cast Megidola on the Shadow. But the attack phased right through, barely affecting the Shadow at all. "Wh-What…?"

"I can see _everything_!" the Shadow gushed as a strange green light flooded the room. And for the next several agonizingly slow seconds, no attacks hit the Shadow. "Now it's _my_ turn!" The Shadow dropped from the pole and lifted the pole with its bare hands. "See if you can dodge _this_!" There was a bright flash of light, and then pain exploded in Aika's chest. She must have collapsed at some point, because the next thing she knew, she was looking _up_ at the Shadow.

"You've gotta be kidding…" Yosuke said weakly as he tried and failed to stand up.

"How're we supposed to win…?" Chie asked.

"A-Are we… going to die…?" Yukiko whispered.

"No!" Teddie yelled. "You guys _can't _die! Wh-What can I do…?"

Every part of Aika's body screamed in pain, and she was only half sure the tears that were leaking out of her eyes were because of it. "T-Teddie…" she managed to say, pushing herself up on violently trembling arms. "Y-You have to get Rise-san… out of here…" She collapsed back to the ground, and her head felt so, so light that she wasn't sure how longer she'd be able to stay conscious.

"A-Abandon you?" Teddie asked. "I can't do that!"

"T-Teddie… P-Please…"

"Am I going to be all alone again?" Teddie asked, his voice rising in hysteria. "No… That's not what I want!"

The green light flooded the room again. "Shit!" Kanji cursed. "It's winding up again!"

"I…" Teddie mumbled. "I…"

"Okie dokie!" the Shadow said tauntingly. "Here we go again! Goodbye… forever!"

Aika pushed herself up again, and through the haze of pain, she could see Teddie waddling in front of the Shadow. "M-My body's moving on its own!" he wailed. "Wh-Why am I stepping forward? I-I feel like I'm going bear-serk!" And then he growled fiercely at the shadow. "I… I'll do it! Take a good look… at Teddie's last stand!"

"Teddie, n-no!" Aika screamed.

Light burst from Teddie's body. "Th-This high-energy reading…" the Shadow sia.d "Is it coming from that weird thing?"

"Teddie, what the hell are you doing?" Kanji yelled.

The light engulfed Teddie's body as he roared. "Teddie!" Yosuke yelled. There was an explosion, and then everything went black.

* * *

Aika groaned as consciousness returned to her too slowly. "Wh-What happened?" Her entire body felt so weak, and her legs shook as she forced herself to stand. Her head spun, and her vision blurred around the edges, but she forced herself forward anyway. A charred figure was lying on the ground a little ways away from Rise's Shadow, which was back to normal. "T-Teddie!" As she stumbled over, the others followed suit.

"You idiot…" Kanji said, his voice shaking with rage. "You coulda died!"

Teddie's body was entirely flat now, instead of the round bear suit that it was before. "Did I…" Teddie said quietly. "Did I help…?"

"You didn't just help," Yosuke said. "You saved our lives!"

"Neat!" Teddie said happily. "I'm so glad… I didn't want to be alone anymore…" As Teddie struggled to stand up, the strength left Aika's body, and she collapsed to her knees. "Wh-What in the world?" Then Teddie let out a wail. "No! My fine, silky fur… I was so proud of it!"

Yosuke chuckled. "Looks like he's gonna be just fine…"

Aika shakily stood up, and they all ran over to Rise and her Shadow, who were lying a little ways away. "Rise-chan!" Yukiko called.

"Wh-Where… am I?" the real Rise asked, grimacing in pain. "I'm sorry… It's all my fault…"

"D-Don't worry…" Aika said weakly. "Everything's going to be all right now…"

"Really?" Rise asked. "Thank god…" After standing up, she helped her Shadow up as well. "I'm sorry… You must've been in a lot of pain up to now. You're part of me, but I kept refusing to admit you existed… I was trying to figure out who the real me was. But I realize now that I was on the wrong track – there is no 'real' me. It just doesn't exist."

"There's no… real me…?" Teddie echoed faintly.

"You… me… even Risette…" Rise continued. "They were all born from me. All of them are… me." The Shadow nodded once, and the silhouette of a tall Persona in a white dress appeared in its place. Her body glowed blue for an instant, and then she collapsed to her knees.

"Rise-chan!" Yosuke called. "Careful!"

"I'm all right…" Rise said, accepting his help to stand up. "Hey, you're the one who came to the store, right?" She looked to Kanji. "You too…" At last, her gaze drifted to Aika. "Even you…"

Aika was getting really tired of collapsing. "H-Hey, Senpai!" Kanji yelled.

"I'm okay," Aika said. "That attack just got me worse than it got you guys…"

"I'm so sorry about that," Rise said. "Um…"

"Aika Nakamura," Aika supplied helpfully.

Yosuke's grin couldn't possibly get any wider. "And I'm Yosuke Hanamura!"

Kanji nodded once. "Kanji Tatsumi."

Chie giggled. "I'm Chie Satonaka!"

Yukiko smiled warmly. "And I'm Yukiko Amagi."

"I _thought_ I recognized you guys…" Rise said. "Thanks, everyone."

"We'll explain everything later," Chie said. "But for right now—"

"There's…" Teddie said dully, as if in a trance. "… no real me…?"

Being the closest, Kanji stepped toward him in alarm. "H-Hey, Teddie…"

"No, get back!" Rise ordered. "Something's coming out of him!"

"Real?" a deep, distorted-sounding voice said. "Me?" The voice chuckled, and a shiver ran down Aika's spine. "Such foolishness…" A bear-shaped Shadow sprung out of Teddie's form, with glowing yellow eyes and a dark aura surrounding it.

"Th-This can't be happening…" Aika mumbled.

"It's like…" Rise said slowly. "Some powerful presence intervened…"

"Wh-What's going on?" Teddie yelped. He screamed when he turned around and saw his Shadow.

"The truth is unattainable…" the Shadow said coldly. "It will always be shrouded in fog. Though you reach through the murk and the gloom to grasp something, you have no means to know it is the truth. In which case, why? What sense is there in yearning for truth? Close your eyes. Lie to yourself. Live in blissful ignorance… It is a much smarter way to exist."

"Come, Konohana Sakuya," Yukiko whispered as she had her Persona heal everyone.

"Everyone, take these," Yosuke whispered, passing beads and seeds along the group and giving the most Soul Drops to Aika. And at last, she was able to stand without fear of falling over again, though her legs still shook slightly.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Teddie asked. "I don't understand a word you're saying! You're just making it sound difficult because I'm not that smart! How rude! Maybe you can't tell, but I'm thinking as hard as I can!"

"It is those efforts that I am calling useless," the Shadow said in a monotone. "You are hollow. Empty."

"Damn it, I'm sorry, Teddie!" Yosuke yelled. "I didn't know that was bothering you _that_ much!"

"At your core, you know this," the Shadow continued, as if Yosuke hadn't said a word. "You just cannot accept it. So you seek an alternate form… a denial of your nature. You have no lost memories. If you have forgotten anything, it is this truth."

"Th-That's… a lie…" Teddie said faintly.

"Shall I spell it out for you?" the Shadow asked. "You are but a mere—"

"I said shut up!" Teddie yelled. He flung a now flat limb at the Shadow, but his entire body bounced back in recoil.

"Teddie!" Yukiko cried in alarm.

"It is the same for you all…" the Shadow continued. "You undergo suffering because of your search for the truth. This world is filled with thick, heavy fog… How can you find something when you know not what you search for?"

"Th-The truth exists _somewhere_," Aika said uncertainly. "B-But…"

"Obtaining the truth is simple," the Shadow said. "All you have to do is believe that it is the truth… Then I will grant you one truth: you will all die here. You sought the truth, only to find death." An oppressive fog that even the glasses couldn't clear filled the room, and at the center, a giant bear sat in the Shadow's place. A large crack in its head revealed hollowness inside, and its piercing blue eyes gleamed despite the fog.

Then, it was as if the Shadow was sucking everything in the room toward it, and everyone grabbed onto poles to keep from being sent flying. Rise somehow went pole-less, and Aika grabbed the first year's arm to steady her. Then, the wind shifted direction, and everything that was sucked in went flying out. A particularly large chunk of debris was heading in Rise's direction, and Aika yanked her out of the way. "A-Are you okay?" Aika asked Rise.

"I'm the one who should be asking that, Senpai," Rise said. "I'm fine. Everyone, get ready."

"Hey, don't tell me you're fighting with us!" Chie said. "You can't take it!"

"I'm okay," Rise said. "I won't exactly be _fighting_ anyway. It's _my_ turn to save _you_!"

The Shadow leered at them. "I am a Shadow… the _true_ self… I shall give you the 'truth' you claim to hold so dear: the inescapable fact of your death here!"

Aika assumed a fighting stance. "We have to save Teddie!"

"Foolish beings!" the Shadow said in a cold voice. "Accept your end with dignity and grace!"

She smashed her card with her rod. "Persona!" _Tarunda, Rakunda, Sukunda!_

"Hang in there, you guys!" Rise called. "I'm scanning it right now, but it's kind of hard to see through all the fog!"

"Take your time!" Yosuke yelled as he slammed one of his swords down on his card, and Jiraiya sent a gust of wind in the Shadow's direction.

"But please hurry," Yukiko said as her Persona engulfed the Shadow in flames.

"We don't know how long we can keep this up!" Chie yelled as Tomoe assaulted the Shadow with a barrage of attacks.

"We got this for now!" Kanji yelled as his Persona allowed electricity to rain down on the Shadow.

"Enough of this nonsense," the Shadow sneered as it lifted one enormous claw into the air. Energy gathered there in a dark sphere, and then the Shadow swung its arm across, and the energy knocked everyone down.

"Y-You've gotta be kidding…" Yosuke grunted. "Not again!"

Aika's head swam. "Found it!" she heard Rise say, as if from far away. "Its weak point is just below the head!"

She closed her eyes. _Aoandon… I'm counting on you… _"Persona!" _Megido right below the head, and please don't miss!_ The world faded around her as she fell.

* * *

"Even Teddie had a hidden side…" Aika heard Chie say, as if from far away.

As Aika struggled to sit up, she saw everyone huddled around Teddie and his Shadow. Rise looked in her direction and smiled brightly. "Oh, Senpai!" She rushed over and helped Aika stand up, though Aika was forced to lean heavily on her.

"I…" Aika heard Teddie say as she dragged her feet forward with Rise's help. Her entire body felt like one giant bruise, and she felt so lightheaded, she was sure she was going to pass out. "I don't know who I am… I've thought a number of times… maybe there is no answer. But I'm here… I live here…"

"We're here for you, Teddie," Yosuke said. "You don't have to do this all on your own."

"I'm sure we'll find out about you, as we continue investigating this world," Yukiko said.

At that, tears welled up in Teddie's eyes. "Y-You guys… I'm one lucky bear!"

The Shadow suddenly began to glow. "Is that… a Persona…?" Aika whispered.

Teddie wobbled over to his Shadow, and a Persona soon took its place. "I can sense strong power from it," Rise said encouragingly. "It's awesome, Teddie." Then, all of a sudden, Rise collapsed, dragging Aika down with her.

"C'mon, let's hurry outside!" Yosuke said urgently.

* * *

"Are you feeling okay, Rise-chan?" Yukiko asked as soon as they reached their original meeting place in the TV world. "We're almost outside."

"I'm all right…" Rise said weakly. "I'm more worried about Aika-senpai and Teddie…"

"I-I'll be okay…" Aika said weakly, though the fact that Yosuke was the one holding her upright didn't help things. "T-Teddie, are you…?"

"I wanna be alone for a while," Teddie admitted.

"A-Are you sure?" Aika asked. "I-I can always…"

"My beautiful fur is all coarse and rough…" Teddie said glumly. "And my nose hasn't been working too well either." Teddie flopped onto his back, but then he started… doing crunches? "So while I wait for my fur to grow back, I'm gonna train hard! Nobody can stop moi! Here goes!"

"What's gotten into you?" Yosuke asked.

"Don't," Teddie said with one crunch. "Talk. To me. One more set!"

"Leave the dude be," Kanji said quietly. "Comes a time when a man's gotta stand on his own two feet."

"Uh, I'm not sure this is really one of those times," Chie said uncertainly.

"Chie and I will take Rise-chan home," Yukiko volunteered.

"Great," Yosuke said. "And I'll deal with Aika."

"I'm sorry about this…" Aika mumbled. "After all that training, too…"

"Don't worry!" Chie said. "You just plateaued! We'll make sure to toughen you up for the next one!"

"Besides, we had to fight two Shadows today, not one," Yosuke said. "We're all got our asses handed to us by one of them, anyway, and we're all dead tired. It's no big deal." He sighed. "Wait a minute… How're we gonna explain this to your uncle?"

"Well… uh…" Chie mumbled. "Good luck, Teddie!"

"Just sit back and wait for my wonderful comeback!" Teddie said in between crunches. "Peace out!"

"Good luck, Teddie," Aika said quietly before leaving with everyone else.

* * *

As it turned out, only Nanako was home, and Yosuke gave a tremendous sigh of relief. "Hey, Nanako-chan!" he greeted tiredly.

But Nanako didn't miss the way Aika was half-unconscious next to him. "Big Sis, are you okay?"

"She sort of… collapsed," Yosuke said evenly. "Y-Yeah, she said she was really tired all day, and then she almost passed out about half an hour ago, so…"

"I'm sorry about this…" Aika said weakly. "D-Do you think you could get my futon ready, Nanako?"

"Sure," Nanako said slowly, as if reluctant to leave her alone.

"Don't worry," Yosuke said, sensing her unease. "I'll look after her." Nanako relaxed ever so slightly and nodded before running upstairs. Yosuke led her over to the couch, and Aika all but collapsed onto it. "Yep. We _really_ need to train more. We barely got any in before going in to save Rise."

"Is there anything I can do… so that attacks _won't_ hurt me as much?" Aika asked, panting heavily.

"I don't know…" Yosuke said uncertainly. "You're back to only using one Persona again. What's up with that?"

It was only because she was so exhausted that she almost told him about the Social Links right then and there. "I feel better using Aoandon," she said. "That's all."

He simply shrugged and sat down next to her. "Seriously, though. Are you okay? You don't look well at all."

"Maybe I'll skip school tomorrow…"

"Yeah, you probably should." What happened next was a blur – all she could remember was that she fell asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

* * *

**Social Links:**

The Fool (the Investigation Team): Level 4  
The Magician (Yosuke Hanamura): Level 4  
The High Priestess (Yukiko Amagi): Level 3  
The Empress (Margaret): Level 4  
The Emperor (Kanji Tatsumi): Level 1  
The Hierophant (Ryotaro Dojima): Level 4  
The Chariot (Chie Satonaka): Level 4  
The Justice (Nanako Dojima): Level 4  
The Hermit (Kaede the fox): Level 3  
The Hanged Man (Naoki Konishi): Level 1  
The Death (Taro Namatame): Level 1  
The Star (Teddie): Level 1  
The Moon (Tohru Adachi): Level 2  
The Sun (Fuuji and Masami Nakamura): Level 3

* * *

_What's this? Is Namatame a Social Link? YOU BETCHA. Muahaha, I've been looking forward to dropping that bombshell ever since I posted the first chapter._

_And HOLY SHIT, THAT WAS A LONG CHAPTER. Forty-eight pages, WHAT UP. Hopefully that compensates for the long absence? So a basic summary of the Social Links:_

_Yosuke: Your romantic advances were rejected, allowing you to LEVEL UP!  
Chie: You shared your deep and meaningful fears with a friend who has less deep and meaningful fears herself. LEVEL UP!  
Yukiko: You were a selfish little shit who turned her innocent question about the best cities to live in into a giant ranting session about how much your parents suck, and then you apologize for it later. LEVEL UP!  
Kanji: You flipped your shit over a rumor you heard from some random girl at school, allowing you to LEVEL UP!  
Naoki: You piss off a tsundere for being you, but then forget to give him back his handkerchief before he storms off, allowing you to LEVEL UP!  
Margaret: You accidentally provoked her maternal instincts and inadvertently discovered why she's "The Empress" to begin with, allowing you to LEVEL UP!  
Aaaaand that's all I've got. Stay tuned for more later._

_So what happens when you have crappy defense? Attacks take away more HP than they would for people with higher defense. Hence how Aika ended up in a similar state to Rise at the end of this chapter, while no one else did. _

_Social Links are rather tedious to write, for obvious reasons. But my personal favorites in this are Yosuke's, Margaret's, Uncle's, and Nanako's. So in your review, let me know which Social Links you like the best and which ones you think are crap. Please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

_So, after much deliberation, I've decided to change the format of this story a bit. I will no longer be following the game exactly, down to the number of Social Links per chapter, which is what I was doing before. There are a lot of reasons for this:_

_1) Writing Social Links is tedious as hell.  
No, seriously. Multiple times while writing the previous chapter, I thought to myself: "Nooooo, not ANOTHER Social Link…" So instead, I will simply gloss over the advancement of Social Links, but I'll still notify you when they form._

_2) As pointed out by a nice little reviewer, it makes the story choppy as hell, and thus rather confusing to read._

_3) And because I was trying to follow the game so strictly, I was never able to really… WRITE. And, forgive the pun, I want to be free. I started writing this because it sounded like a fun little project, but it got to a point where I had to force myself to keep writing. Because I have great plans for this, I'm going to finish it, but I'm going to write it in a style and format that is much more enjoyable for me to write and (hopefully) much more enjoyable for you to read._

_This means that the chapters will PROBABLY be shorter. So… let me know if this makes things unbearable. And with that… enjoy?_

* * *

"God, I still feel half dead," Yosuke complained.

"Me too," Aika agreed. The two of them sat in the food court of Junes on a rainy Sunday afternoon, two days after the ordeal with Rise and Teddie's Shadows. Unable to muster the energy to get out of bed, Aika took a sick day and spent all of Saturday and half of Sunday sleeping. And, evidently, Yosuke decided to do the same. "It doesn't make any sense, though," Aika said. "I mean, I slept for almost a day and a half straight. Like, Nanako had to wake me up last night just to get me to eat something, and I fell right back asleep."

"Get this," Yosuke said. "I had a shift Friday night."

Aika raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. And I full on _passed out_ in the middle of it."

"Were you okay?" Aika asked. "You didn't look that tired when we came out of the TV."

Yosuke shrugged. "It just sort of came all at once, I guess. After I took you home. Anyway, my parents took me to the hospital, and the doctor couldn't find anything wrong with me, so he said I was just exhausted, and my parents got into this huge fight about how they were making me work too much."

"H-How did that go?"

"Now, I'm supposed to work exactly half as many hours a week as I did before. So my paycheck got sliced in half too, which sucks in more ways than one."

Aika sighed heavily and prodded her meat with her chopsticks. "I've got family drama, too," she said. "So basically, after you dropped me off at home, Uncle came home drunk."

"How drunk?" Yosuke asked, clasping his hands together and leaning forward.

"_Really_ drunk," Aika clarified. "Nanako said she could smell sake all over him. So it was Adachi-san that brought him home, you see, and then Uncle started ranting about the case, and about my _parents_, and then he started _crying_, which just made Nanako really uncomfortable. Mind you, I heard all of this from her. Then the next day, I couldn't get out of bed, and Uncle was so hungover that he couldn't go to work either, Nanako took the day off just to take care of us. I mean, she called us in sick and everything. So now we just feel really bad about the whole thing, only we don't know how to make it up to her."

"What, she's not mad at you, is she?" Yosuke asked. "I didn't think Nanako-chan could _get_ mad."

"Trust me, she can," Aika said flatly. "She _exploded _at me when I picked the tomatoes she had to grow for a class project and used them to make sauce. And she's so mad at Uncle now that she's just been giving him the silent treatment. I don't think she's that mad at me, though. She probably thinks I was really sick, or something. I mean, she _did_ try to feed me cold medicine yesterday…"

Yosuke sighed and stared off into the distance. "Damn it, I didn't think the case would affect our day-to-day lives so much…" Aika didn't say anything in return; she just leaned back in her seat tiredly and sighed. A small smile graced Yosuke's features, and Aika raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. "Well, at least one _good_ thing came out of this."

"What do you mean?"

Yosuke's smile widened, and there was so little tension in his shoulders that Aika couldn't even begin to describe how completely _relaxed_ he looked. "You probably won't be targeted."

Aika fought the blush that was rapidly blooming on her cheeks. "You were that worried about me?"

"Well… _yeah_." Yosuke exhaled sharply. "All right, look. We thought that people connected to Ms. Yamano's case were being targeted right? I don't think you really get how much _danger_ you might've been in. You and _especially_ Nanako-chan. Because you fit that description, too – your uncle's as involved as he can possibly be in the case."

"I know, but… going after the leading detective's niece and daughter? If I were the culprit, I wouldn't want to make him _angry_."

"Yeah, but that'd shake him up really bad," Yosuke pointed out.

"Can we _please_ not talk about this?"

"… Sorry."

Aika sighed yet again. "Maybe I should take tomorrow off too… No, then I'll never want to go back to school… I'm sure I'll be fine if I go to bed early tonight."

"All right…" Yosuke grunted as he stood up. "Let's hope everything goes smoothly with Rise-chan."

* * *

And so, the days passed by quickly. School went by as normal, and Aika busied herself by studying for finals and occasionally training with Chie. Everyone agreed that going into the TV without Teddie or Rise was a horrible idea, so they steered clear of the electronics department at Junes. And seemingly, Aika spent every day with a different person – with Yosuke, with Chie, with Yukiko, with Kanji, with Uncle, with Nanako, and even with her parents. And, as a result, their respective Social Links developed quickly.

But though Aika refrained from using any Persona besides Aoandon, she never stopped fusing new ones, in case the need for another's skills arose. "May I ask you something?" Margaret asked one day after Aika completed a particularly complicated fusion. "I know for a fact that I have asked you this before, but why do you refrain from using other Personae besides your original? Hasn't your original become… obsolete by now?"

Aika simply shrugged. "Aoandon's fine," she said. "If anything, I couldn't fight with her all that well at first, but I can now."

"Because your physical condition has vastly improved, no doubt," Margaret said kindly.

The thinly veiled compliment flew over Aika's head entirely. "Not enough."

Margaret simply chuckled. "You humans are strange… You take pride in the most meaningless things, and then you become modest about the things that truly matter… but the drive to always become stronger – that is always the same. In Master Makoto and yourself, especially."

Aika froze. "I thought you said you didn't want me to be like her."

"I do not want you to be _reckless_ with your own life," Margaret clarified. "I want you to find joy in your life – if it is an unhappy one, then you will find it easy to sacrifice it."

"Is that what you think happened with Makoto-senpai?" Aika asked, Margaret raised a questioning eyebrow in her direction. "I just… I wouldn't sacrifice my life _because_ there's no meaning to it. I'd sacrifice myself because there's something greater my life can give, and in the long run, my life would be a small price to pay. I'd, be scared of dying, sure, but… I think it'd be worth it. I think… I think that's how Makoto-senpai felt when she died, if giving up her life for the greater good came so easily to her."

Margaret smiled warmly and placed a hand on Aika's shoulder. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that it does not come to that," she said sincerely. "You have my word."

Igor chuckled suddenly, cutting into their conversation. "I think Master Makoto would have liked you very much, Master Aika."

Aika felt her cheeks heat up, but she fought the blush down. "Y-You really think so?"

Igor's grin widened. "I _know_ so."

* * *

Aika was on the verge of a panic attack. So they saw Rise's program on the Midnight Channel, jumped in the TV, and saved her, right? So there was no reason for a dead body to be found, dead, right? Yosuke ran back to their table at that moment, looking frantic. "Yeah, it was murder all right," he said, panting heavily. "The body was hanging upside down on an apartment rooftop's railing…"

"But…" Yukiko mumbled, looking forlorn. "How could that…?"

Yosuke exhaled sharply as he sat down. "That's not all," he said solemnly. "The victim this time… It was King Moron."

Aika couldn't take it anymore. "How?" she shrieked. "He didn't show up on the Midnight Channel! A-And Teddie would've _known_ if he was…" Then, Yosuke's words finally registered. "D-Did you just say 'King Moron'…?"

Everyone stood up in surprise. "Wait, you mean _that_ King Moron?" Kanji asked incredulously. "Senpai's homeroom teacher?"

"What on earth is going on here?" Chie wailed.

"How am I supposed to know?" Yosuke yelled back. "All I did was talk to a guy who saw it!" His eyes narrowed in sadness and disappointment. "But it's true, though… There's no mistake."

"Gotta be shitting me!" Kanji ranted. "Ain't the killer targeting people who get shown on TV? I ain't never seen King Moron on the Midnight Channel, or any other programs!"

"Why…?" Yosuke whispered. "Why did this happen?"

"Were we… really that far off?" Aika asked, unable to stop shaking.

"Maybe the Midnight Channel doesn't have anything to do with this…" Yukiko muttered.

"Damn it!" Yosuke yelled, slamming his hands down on the table. "We came so far, and now we're back to square one? Were we in over our heads, trying to catch a culprit that even the police couldn't find…?"

"Hey!" Kanji yelled. "Snap out of it, Senpai! We started this thing 'cause the police can't tell their asses from their elbows. We give up now, and shithead's gonna be on the loose forever. This ain't the time for bitching and moaning – we just gotta keep keepin' on."

"Kanji-kun…" Yukiko said, sounding impressed.

"Big talk from someone like you, Kanji," Yosuke said.

"What's that s'posed to mean?" Kanji asked.

Yosuke sighed. "I know. We're dealing with a murderer here, but we've all risked our lives to get this far. No way we'll back down. And we promised the bear, too."

"Hey, that's right!" Chie interjected. "Maybe Teddie knows something about this!"

"Come on, let's go!" Yosuke said as they all dashed inside the store. But right before the electronics department, sitting on a massage chair, was…"

"T-Teddie?" Aika, Chie, and Yukiko gasped simultaneously.

"Wh-What the…?" Yosuke spluttered. "I mean, how'd you…?"

"It took you guys long enough," Teddie said. He was leaning back in the chair with his eyes closed, smiling contentedly. "I've been waiting."

"Teddie, are you okay on this side?" Yukiko asked concernedly.

"How did you even _leave_ your side?" Kanji asked.

"Of course I can come out!" Teddie said excitedly. "There's an exit. It just never occurred to me to do it before. But spending time with you all sparked my curiosity about this world! I did wonder if it was a good idea, but my feet started moving before I could decide. And when I thought about it, I had nowhere to go, and it was a waste to go back. So I waited here for you.

"T-Teddie, it's great that you're feeling better, b-but…" Aika said shakily. "We need to ask you something. Did… anyone enter the other world after we left last time?"

"I stayed until the fog settled in on my side, but no one came," Teddie replied.

"You're positive?" Yosuke asked immediately. "You really didn't sense a single person?"

"I just said that I didn't!" Teddie snapped. "I was there, all by myself, like always!"

"And… your nose wasn't clogged or anything?"

"Aren't you listening? I was utterly, totally, and one hundred percent alone! That's why I came over here! But I can understand if you don't believe me. My senses aren't that good lately anyways…"

"No one… really came?" Aika whispered to herself. "Does that mean…?"

"Well, the Midnight Channel was blank last night," Chie said. "So… does that mean King Moron was never on that side?"

"Hey, hey!" Teddie said energetically as he pulled out a pair of pink-rimmed glasses. "I wanna give this to Rise-chan. She'll probably back us up from now on, so I'm gonna fight alongside you with everything I got! Don't think of me as the same cute little Teddie! I'm an all-new model! I have a powerful attack, an unbeatable defense, and a winning smile! Today begins the New Legend of Teddie!"

"Wow…" Yukiko said. "A new legend…"

"Okay, just to make sure, I'm gonna ask you one more time," Yosuke said seriously in the food court of Junes. "Nobody was over there, except for you, until the fog came back. Correct?"

"That's what I've been saying," Teddie replied. It felt strange, seeing Teddie outside the TV world, but it fit, somehow.

"He didn't show up on the Midnight Channel either…" Chie mused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kanji asked.

"No clue…" Yosuke grumbled. "But I think we can be sure now that King Moron was never thrown into the TV."

"But… can we even be sure it's the same person now?" Aika said. "Look at it this way – the killer found this effective, efficient way of killing people without drawing any suspicion to himself… or herself. So why would he forgo that for Mr. Morooka? The only reason that makes sense is that it isn't the same person."

"But they also could have killed him on this side because we thwarted their last three attempts," Yukiko pointed out.

"Dammit…" Kanji swore. "If that's true, then we have no way of preventing more murders unless we catch the killer!"

"So either we can't save anyone else unless we catch the killer, or we're dealing with more than one culprit here," Yosuke summarized, sighing heavily. "It doesn't sound good either way…"

Teddie sighed. "It's so hot out," he said. "I'm taking this off."

"Wait, what?" Aika shrieked.

"You're not talking about your head, are you?" Yosuke yelled. Teddie attempted to pop his head off, but Yosuke pressed it back on. "Cut it out! The kids are watching! They'll be scarred for life if they see an empty mascot walking around. Have some consideration, man…"

"I'm glad you're back to normal, though," Yukiko said. "Your fur's all fuzzy again!"

"I want to touch it," Kanji said in a low voice.

"Actually, I'm no longer a hollow bear!" Teddie announced. "I trained and trained, hoping to someday score with Chie-chan and Yuki-chan and Aika-chan… and now I finally have an inside!"

"Can we drop the whole 'scoring' thing, already?" Yukiko demanded.

But before anyone could say another word, Teddie removed his head… revealing a very human-looking one inside. "Ah," he sighed contentedly. "Much better." He had blonde hair as pale as Margaret's and bright blue eyes, and… he was smiling almost seductively at Aika, making her want to melt into the floor. "Hey, Aika-chan. Chie-chan. Yuki-chan."

"H-Huh?" Aika mumbled, unsure of what else to say.

"Do you have anything to wear?" Teddie asked. "I'm basically like a newborn at the moment."

"T-Teddie?" Chie stammered. "I-Is that really you…?"

"Um…" Yukiko said as Teddie quite literally sparkled in the sunlight.

"Wait did you just say you're like a newborn?" Chie asked. "Then don't take the bottom part off!"

"I-I think it's a good time to get some shopping done," Aika said hurriedly as she stood up and grabbed the head and fastened it back on. "C-Come on, Teddie. U-Um… D-Do you guys want to come too?"

"I'll pass," Yosuke said bluntly, clearly freaked out.

"Me too," Kanji added.

* * *

Teddie huffed in annoyance as he fidgeted with his white and blue striped T-shirt. "I don't see why you had to be so stingy, Aika-chan," he said.

"I already told you," Aika said, sounding irritated. "It was three shirts for the price of one. That's an amazing deal."

"B-But I have _standards_!"

"We can't _afford_ your standards!"

"Come on, Aika-chan, don't be mean," Yosuke said teasingly.

Aika leveled him with a flat stare. "You weren't the one shopping with him," was all she said.

"This guy had to make it a huge ordeal," Chie ranted. "Everything was new to him, so it turned into a big mess. He was so excited in the women's section that he started blabbering… Aika got so mad that she just picked the cheapest clothes she could find for him and dragged him out of the store." She glared at Teddie. "Hey! You can't just go around doing whatever you want when you're in this form, got it?"

"He can't help it," Yukiko said with a giggle. "It's his first time in our world."

"A-Are you still mad at me, Aika-chan?" Teddie asked, his voice breaking.

Aika sighed irritably. "All right… I forgive you."

"I'm so glad!" Teddie gushed. "I was worried that you didn't like me anymore!"

Aika smiled at him return. "I could never stop liking you, Teddie."

Chie laughed. "If you can behave yourself, you'll be pretty cute."

"Is he cute?" Yosuke asked. "What do you think, Kanji?"

"Huh?" Kanji asked, holding his topsickle just a few inches away from his mouth. "What're you asking me for?"

"I was just wondering if he was your type," Yosuke teased.

"Oh, I get it," Kanji said, glaring at Yosuke. "What you're _really_ asking is… 'Will you please beat the shit out of me, Kanji?'" Yukiko snorted before entering a laughing fit. "It ain't funny, Yukiko-senpai."

"You'll have to forgive Yukiko," Chie said. "She's helpless when she gets this way…"

"Oh, no need to fight over me, baby," Teddie said suavely.

Kanji raised his fist threateningly. "Shaddup! You picking a fight with me?"

"Can we not fight over _anything_, please?" Aika asked exasperatedly. "Let's just go find Rise-chan, okay?"

* * *

Aika and Yukiko, who were walking in the front of the group, reached Marukyu first, and the strange boy from before – the one Kanji liked, no doubt – was there at the front. "I thought I'd find you here," he said calmly.

"You're…" Yukiko said quietly.

The boy walked in front of them to face them. He was only slightly taller than Aika, which made her feel a little better about her height. "Are you here to ingratiate yourself with Rise Kujikawa?"

"I've had it, you stupid bear!" Kanji yelled as he nearly bumped into Aika. Then, as he caught himself, he noticed the boy in the hat, and his face turned a furious shade of red. "H-Huh? Wh-What're you…"

The boy nodded once at him. "A pleasure to see you again, Kanji-kun."

"It's, uh… great seeing you too, I guess…" If the situation weren't so random and awkward, Aika might have teased Kanji about liking the boy.

"I don't believe I've ever introduced myself to the rest of you," the boy said. "My name is Naoto Shirogane. I'm investigating the multiple murders that have occurred here. Mind if I ask you a few questions on the subject?"

Aika took a deep breath to steel her nerves and stepped forward. "I'll talk," she volunteered. "I might know more about the murders, since my uncle is one of the lead detectives on the case. Ryotaro Dojima… Have you heard of him?"

"Ah…" Naoto said slowly, and Aika resisted the urge to smile as she successfully gained the upper hand. "Yes, I've had the pleasure of meeting him. But I believe we're getting a little off-topic."

"Sorry," Aika said, though she didn't feel sorry at all. "Ask away."

"The latest victim, Kinshiro Morooka… He was a teacher at the school you all attend, correct?"

"Yeah," Aika said. "He was our homeroom teacher, incidentally. But what does that have to do with—"

"The public is focused on the fact that he is associated with the second victim's school," Naoto cut her off. "But in truth, that's irrelevant. What intrigues me is the inconsistency. This Morooka… has never appeared on television." Teddie made a muffled sound, and as Aika looked back at him in concern, she could see Yosuke covering his mouth.

Aika took another deep breath. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, we'll leave it at that," Naoto said with finality. He tipped his hat to Aika. "Good day." And with that, he walked away.

"Who is that guy?" Yosuke asked as soon as Naoto was out of earshot.

"It felt like he completely saw through us…" Chie said. "He even knew about the TV thing."

"Oh… Hi."

"Rise-chan!" Yukiko and Chie cried at the same time. Sure enough, the idol was standing a little ways behind them in a bright orange shirt, smiling pleasantly. "Are you okay now," Yukiko asked.

Rise nodded. "Yeah, thanks for asking," she said. "Are you all here to check up on me?"

"S-Sort of…" Aika said.

"Oh," Rise said. "Um… Do you guys have a moment? There's something I want to tell you. Follow me. My grandma's taking care of the shop today." She led them to the Tatsuhime Shrine. "I remember being at my house," she said, "but when I came to, I was already in the other world.

"Still no real information on the killer…" Chie groaned.

"We met this weird kid named Naoto a second ago," Yosuke told Rise.

"He's come to the shop several times," Rise said. "He asked me a lot about the incident. I didn't tell him anything about the other world, though. I figured it'd be a waste of time. Actually, he asked me about you guys too, but I just made up some stuff. Like, 'They found me unconscious on the roof of Junes'."

"Well, I guess that's close enough to the truth," Yosuke said fleetingly.

"U-Um…" Rise mumbled. "I-I really appreciate what you did for me…"

"It was no problem at all," Aika said evenly.

Then Rise jumped up excitedly. "Thank you _so_ much! I love you guys!"

"Dude…" Yosuke whispered. "She's so _cute_!" Aika elbowed him in the pelvis for his comment. "Man, it's finally hitting me that you're the real deal. You really are Risette."

"What are you, an old man?" Kanji asked.

"Well, I know I sounded gloomy and all from stress," Rise said quickly, "so… I-I thought you might not like me that way. Do I… sound weird?" Then she frowned. "Oh, but I guess it sounds more 'natural' this way to the public… I'm sorry. I've practically lost touch with what the normal me is like."

Chie laughed. "No need to apologize. Just do what comes naturally."

"Everyone has multiple sides to them," Yukiko said. "Believe me, we know. So you don't have to force yourself to decide on just one."

"Thanks," Rise said, giggling. "I'm glad you're the first people I got to know here."

"Welcome to the group, Rise-chan!" Teddie enthused. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pink glasses he had earlier. "And you get _these_ complimentary."

"Y-You don't have to take them if you don't want to…" Aika said quietly.

"Senpai…" Rise said gently. "Would you be struggling without my help? I can help you in that world, right? So wouldn't it be better if I joined the team?"

"Here you go, Rise-chan!" Teddie said, handing her the glasses. "These'll help you see through the fog, so now you can be extra analytical."

"Great!" Rise said excitedly. "Now I'm part of the team! I'll be going to Yasogami High starting tomorrow. But I don't have any friends yet, so don't ignore me, okay? I _do_ owe you my life, so… you know…"

"Leave it to us, Rise-chan!" Chie said.

"It sure is a rough time to transfer here, though," Yosuke said. "The kidnappings, King Moron's death… All that, and exams are soon, too." He sighed. "I wonder if there's a chance that they'll be cancelled…"

"I doubt it," Chie moaned. "They always hold those exams, rain or shine."

Rise giggled. "I almost got killed by one of those monsters. Compared to that, exams are nothing."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Kanji deadpanned.

"Let's go home and talk about this tomorrow!" Teddie suggested. "Um… where's… home… for me?"

Yosuke shrugged. "I'll take you home, I guess. Maybe I can pass you off as a foreign exchange student, or something."

"See you all tomorrow!" Rise said cheerfully.

* * *

"Hey, you okay?" Yosuke asked Aika the next day before class started. "You look kind of depressed."

"I'm just…" Aika said quietly. "… tired, I guess."

"I couldn't sleep last night either," Yosuke said. "I wonder what's going to happen… Will we get a new homeroom teacher?"

As if on cue, a woman with a pink shirt that was buttoned too low, with too many layers of makeup on her face, walked in the room. "Good morning," she said in a low, raspy voice. "I'm Noriko Kashiwagi, your new class teacher starting today. You all probably know already, but now that Mr. Morooka has passed away…" She flipped her thin brown hair and giggled. "I'll be taking good care of you instead." A shiver ran down Aika's spine. "Okay, why don't we start off with a moment of silence for Mr. Morooka? Close your eyes, everyone…" Aika obeyed, but not even five seconds later, Kashiwagi spoke up again. "That should be enough. I'll do my best to fill Mr. Morooka's shoes. So our regular exams are still on track for next week. As your principal said, 'It's times like these when the schedule is most important, Nori-chan.'" She giggled again, and Aika found herself even more weirded out than before. "It must be tough for you. But, that what it means to become an adult, little by little."

"Why does everything she say sound like it has a second meaning?" Yosuke whispered.

"Oh, and one more thing," Kashiwagi said, her voice taking on a hard edge. "That idol in our first year class… Ms. Kujikawa, was it? In person, she's nothing like she seems on TV, so don't get your hopes up, mmkay?" Her face contorted into a scowl. "What's so great about an _idol_ anyway, right class? She's just a piece of inexperienced jailbait!"

And as Kashiwagi continued to rant on and on about Rise, Aika leaned backward just as Yosuke leaned forward. "What did Rise-chan ever do to her anyway?" Aika whispered to him.

"Does she seriously think she's Risette's _rival_?" Yosuke replied. "She doesn't stand a chance!"

And the day passed by surprisingly normally. Before long, the group was making their way over to Junes, where Teddie greeted them enthusiastically. "I can't believe finals are next week…" Chie complained. "It's been a while since I failed any subjects…"

"Yeah, if by 'a while,' you mean 'all the time'," Yosuke deadpanned.

"Shut up!" Chie shrieked. "As if you've ever seen my scores!"

"But Chie always scores above average marks in the subjects that she doesn't fail!" Yukiko said encouragingly.

"H-Hey! Why'd you tell him? My scores just… vary! Yeah, that's it!" When Rise giggled, Chie groaned. "Rise-chan, not you too…"

Rise giggled again. "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. It's just… I thought it would take me a while to make any friends at my new school."

"Yeah, but we met under such awful circumstances," Aika pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Yosuke interjected. "What do you guys think about King Moron's case? He didn't show up on the Midnight Channel once!"

"Didn't we narrow it down to two things or somethin'?" Kanji asked.

"Right," Yukiko said. "Either the killer's trying to shake us off their trail, or there's more than one killer at large."

"Or maybe Mr. Morooka was pushed in right before the fog came in, so we wouldn't be able to do anything about it," Aika quipped.

"But I would've known if someone else was there," Teddie pointed out. "My nose isn't as sharp now, but I can tell that much."

"But…" Yukiko said quietly. "Why Mr. Morooka? He never showed up on TV, and he didn't have anything to do with Ms. Yamano's case either."

"Hope it wasn't personal," Kanji said, "'cause there's way too many people who hated King Moron's guts."

"But didn't you say that the killer picks his targets by watching TV?" Rise asked. "In that case, I picture the killer as someone who doesn't know the victims at all. I don't think it's worth trying to figure out _motives_ for that type. There are too many people who hold grudges against you for no reason, even if you've never met them before."

"I really hope you're not speaking from personal experience," Aika said seriously.

Chie groaned in frustration. "I don't get this at all!"

"Man, two victims from our school…" Kanji mused. "That's gotta set off the police's alarm bells. They're not gonna leave any stones at school unturned."

"Y'know, to be honest…" Yosuke said solemnly. "Somewhere deep inside, I thought maybe King Moron was the killer… The news says that he was the second victim from Yasogami High, but we all know that's not the case. And I've heard him say more than once that so-and-so deserves to die… But now… I feel bad that I doubted him. He was a capital-A asshole, but that doesn't justify killing him. And not just King Moron… I feel sorry for _all_ the victims. I can't forgive the killer, no matter what!" Aika gave his hand a comforting squeeze under the table where no one would see, and he smiled thankfully at her in return.

"Well, we'll do what we can!" Chie announced. "For King Moron's sake too! At this rate, you have to figure that the killer has something to do with the school, right? So why don't we split up and—"

"That won't be necessary." Aika closed her eyes and sighed exasperatedly. Of all times for Naoto to show up… "There is no need to examine the case of Mr. Morooka any further."

"D-Do you know something?" Aika asked.

"Apparently, the police have found a suspect," Naoto said. "It would be best to let them handle the case from here."

"H-How do you know?" Yosuke stammered.

"I'm on this case as a special investigator, by request of the prefectural police," Naoto told the group. "Unfortunately, I haven't been told his name. I _do_ know… that he is a high schooler. It isn't public knowledge yet, but he isn't a student of your high school. It seems they are quite confident that this boy is the killer. They have testimonies directly linking him with the incident. I expect it's only a matter of time before he is apprehended. Soon this case will be solved, and your town will go back to its peaceful, rustic self."

"Why are you telling us this?" Aika asked. "Especially since they haven't apprehended the suspect yet, I'd assume that what you just told us is strictly confidential."

"Your 'game' will soon reach its end," Naoto said simply. "I felt I should at least let you know that."

"A _game_?" Rise cried indignantly. "Aren't _you_ the one who thinks of this as a _game_? I don't care if you're a special investigator or an amateur sleuth… All you're doing is solving mysteries. What could you possibly know about _us_? _You're_ the one who's playing a game here!"

"One of the victims…" Yosuke said, looking downward as he squeezed Aika's hand. "She meant a lot to me. How could I possibly treat this like a game? Plus… we made a promise."

"Y-Yosuke…" Teddie whimpered.

"A game…" Naoto said quietly.

Right now, Aika could finally understand just how angry and hurt Margaret felt when she asked the Velvet Room attendant about the previous guest, Makoto. "Please…" Aika whispered. "Leave us alone."

"I beg your pardon?" Naoto asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aika frowned at Naoto. Rise, Kanji, Yukiko, even Saki… their Shadows, the very real emotions and feelings they tried so hard to suppress, came to mind. Uncle coming home late every night, sometimes not at all, Nanako waiting alone with her and finally going to bed when they got too tired to wait for him any longer… Naoki Konishi and his near obsessive hatred of Yosuke and Junes, Margaret, who wanted so badly to protect Aika because she didn't want to lose a dear friend like her brother had with Makoto, and even the deliveryman, Namatame and his still spirit-crushing grief for Mayumi Yamano. And at the moment, it didn't even matter that Naoto had no way of knowing the full extent of the case. If he hadn't so callously called their investigation a _game_, Aika might have been able to rationalize that the detective simply didn't know what he was talking about. So Aika squeezed Yosuke's hand tightly and looked Naoto square in the eye. "If you don't leave now, there's a good chance I'll say something I'll regret later."

Naoto nodded once. "Very well, then."

When Naoto left, Yosuke squeezed Aika's hand, giving her a concerned look. "You okay?"

And at that moment, she wanted to fling the Wild Card far away, where the Social Links couldn't affect her to this level. Because the Wild Card meant, for better or worse, that her fate was inextricably tied to that of each of the Social Links. And by now, it had reached a point where it was just too overwhelming to handle. Tears stung her eyes, and Aika dried them with her free hand, but she couldn't bring herself to feel embarrassed about crying in front of her friends. "Yeah, I'm fine… S-Sorry…"

"Oh, Senpai!" Rise wailed, and all of a sudden, the first year's arms were around her, nearly suffocating her.

"Wah, Aika-chan!" Teddie wailed, latching onto Aika from the other side.

"Why're you getting so emotional?" Chie asked. "You didn't lose anyone to the case yet."

"Hey, don't jinx it," Kanji warned.

"I don't know…" Aika answered honestly, shrugging.

* * *

Surprisingly, Uncle came home that night. "I'm home," he called from the front door.

"Hi, Uncle!" Aika called cheerfully from the kitchen.

"Welcome home!" Nanako said enthusiastically. "Oh… Um…"

"This is Naoto Shirogane. He's a special detective they called down from prefectural police." Aika promptly dropped the big spoon she was holding.

"Oh…" Nanako said shyly. "Um… I-It's nice to meet you…"

"Aika, come say hello," Uncle called.

Aika only obeyed because there was no way she having any Naoto-related conversations with him later. "Hello," she said to Naoto, bowing stiffly to him. "Please, sit down. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Uncle simply raised a questioning eyebrow at her, and Aika looked away immediately. "… All right, then," he said slowly.

And, as promised, dinner was an excruciatingly awkward affair. "You make nice curry," Naoto complimented. What was trying to do, get her to lower her guard so that she'd answer more questions about the murders?

"Thank you," Aika replied emotionlessly. "It's my aunt's recipe."

"I see…" Naoto cleared his throat conspicuously. "So, Aika-san, what grade are you in?"

"My uncle must have told you already." But when Uncle gave her a sharp glare, she immediately backtracked. "I'm a second year in high school. And before you ask, yes, Mr. Morooka was my homeroom teacher."

Uncle cleared his throat. "Aika, can I see you in the kitchen for a minute?" Aika almost sighed; she'd really done it now… And Uncle looked absolutely _furious_. "What is your problem?" he hissed once Nanako and Naoto were out of earshot.

Aika wrapped her arms around herself. "I just… don't like him that much."

Uncle sighed and slapped his forehead. "Aika, you've known him for _fifteen minutes_."

"I've met him before."

Uncle's expression softened at this. "All right," he said in a gentler tone. "What did he do?"

"Nothing!" Aika sighed at Uncle's disbelieving look. "Okay, so earlier today, my friends and I were talking about Mr. Morooka's murder."

"Of course," Uncle said.

"And he called it a _game_. Like us just _talking_ about it was the stupidest thing ever!"

Uncle simply raised his eyebrows. "I don't get it."

Aika groaned. "Never mind. Let's just go back before he gets suspicious." And she made her way back to the living room before Uncle could get another word in.

"Ah, Aika-san, Dojima-san," Naoto said in a smooth voice that made Aika want to strangle him on the spot. "Nanako-chan was just telling me about her school."

"Was she now?" Uncle asked. Aika didn't say another word for the rest of dinner, and the time when she went to the kitchen to wash dishes couldn't come soon enough.

What she _didn't_ count on, however, was for Naoto to join her. "Allow me to assist you," the detective said.

"You don't have to go through the trouble," Aika said bluntly.

Naoto sighed. "Well then, let me just say my piece, and I'll leave you alone." Aika stiffened, but didn't say anything. "I owe you an apology. What I said earlier today was out of line."

"Naoto-kun—"

"You were right – this isn't a game. Not to me." He exhaled sharply and turned around, leaning almost lazily against the kitchen countertop. "Yesterday, when you told me that Dojima-san was your uncle, it didn't fully register. I didn't realize how much of a strain that fact alone has put on your life, given how involved he is in the case." Aika finally regarded him when he removed his cap and looked her square in the eye. "I'm sorry, Aika-san. Please forgive me for my insensitivity."

And though the anger hadn't entirely faded, Aika still nodded. "Apology accepted." And at that, another Social Link formed.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Fortune Arcanum…_

"Shirogane," Uncle called, snapping Aika out of her thoughts. "We need to go."

"Yes, sir," Naoto said as he put on his cap once more. "I wish you and your friends luck in your investigation, Aika-san."

And at that, Aika froze. Uncle simply raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "I'll be there in a minute," he told Naoto. "Just get in the car."

"Yes, sir."

Aika waited until she heard the front door close. "Uncle, I—"

Uncle put his hands firmly on her shoulders. "Aika, _please _don't tell me you're involved in this case. Don't tell me _that's_ why you were so mad at Shirogane before."

"Uncle, I…" Aika said slowly. "How involved in the case can my friends an I get, anyway? All we do is talk about potential suspects and theories. That's all."

"But _why_?" Uncle asked, shaking her a little. "Don't you kids have anything better to do?"

"Uncle…" Aika said quietly. "This is mostly for Yosuke. He was really close to Saki Konishi, so he really wants to solve this mystery. Please understand."

Uncle sighed as he released her. "I can't stop you, can I? If you're just going to talk about the case, that's fine – just promise me that you won't get in over your head."

Aika nodded. "I promise."

"Okay. See you tomorrow, hopefully."

She couldn't explain why she felt so horrible then. "Bye, Uncle…"

* * *

Aika sighed contentedly as she leaned back in her chair, perfectly happy with her above average scores on her finals. "Ah, we're finally free!" Yosuke sighed. "Hey, why don't we go somewhere during summer vacation?"

"Yeah, but how?" Aika asked.

Yosuke stared pointedly at Aika. "Duh! On motorcycles!"

"You guys have motorcycles?"Aika heard Rise say from somewhere behind her. "Lucky you!"

Kanji scoffed. "They ain't got motorcycles. Yosuke-senpai's just bluffing."

"No I'm not!" Yosuke snapped. "I'm saying we'll all get licensed, and then we all get motorcycles! How about the beach?"

"Well it _would_ be a pain to go by train," Chie conceded.

"I haven't been to the beach in a long time either," Yukiko said.

"I've never been to the beach _here_," Aika quipped.

"The bright sun, the glistening waves," Chie gushed, "that luscious scent drifting from nearby stands, the dripping of meat juices…"

"Is food all you can think about?" Yosuke deadpanned.

"So we're all getting our licenses then?" Rise asked. "It's just a written test, right?"

"We can't," Kanji retorted. "We're too young."

"Aw, sorry Kanji! But my birthday was last month, so I'm sixteen now."

"Hey, that's cheating!"

"It's okay, Kanji-kun," Aika said. "I feel your pain. My birthday's in March, so I just turned sixteen too."

"It's supposed to be for work, but there's a scooter at the inn!" Yukiko said excitedly.

"We got one as a gift at the office that's just sitting around," Rise said. "I bet I could borrow it if I asked! … I'd have to call my manager though."

"Hey, this is actually gonna work!" Yosuke said excitedly. "How about you, Chie? Aika?"

"A scooter, huh?" Chie asked.

"It can be any kind as long as it's lower than 50 cc," Yosuke said.

"Then I might be in luck… One of our relatives loves motorcycles! Maybe he has a scooter I can borrow."

"My uncle has one in the garage that he used back in his glory days," Aika said. "He'll deny it if you ask him about it, though." She sighed. "It's getting him to agree to let me get a license and borrow it that'll be the problem…"

"Sweet!" Yosuke enthused. "Let's all get our licenses then!"

"Hold up," Kanji interjected. "What about Teddie?"

Yosuke put a hand on his chin. "Hmm… If he doesn't move around, he could pass as luggage. Or we could just strap some wheels on him and tow him!"

Yukiko snorted in laughter. "Teddie… on wheels? Rollerskates! … It's perfect!" Needless to say, she didn't stop laughing for a long time.

Aika finally left school about half an hour later, and as she was walking by the Samegawa River, she saw the last person she expected to see. "Hi, Namatame-san. Are you off work today?"

The tall, almost middle-aged man looked to her. "Hmm? Oh, Nakamura-san."

Aika went to join him without hesitation. He'd delivered enough of her orders from Tanaka's show, and they'd talked enough times for her to be comfortable around him. "You don't have to be so formal, you know. Just 'Aika' is fine."

"Very well," Namatame said uncertainly. "… Aika-san."

Aika smiled sheepishly at him. "Close enough."

Namatame sighed heavily. "Did you hear about that high school teacher?"

"He was my homeroom teacher," Aika said quietly.

"I'm sorry for your loss…" He gazed wistfully at the river. "They think it's related to Mayumi's case…"

"Namatame-san…" Aika stared up at him. "You really loved her, didn't you?"

"I suppose I could tell you…" Namatame said slowly. "But you can't tell anyone."

"I promise," Aika said, nodding.

Namatame sighed. "Believe it or not, it all started with Misuzu. She became pregnant… with someone else's child. She told me on our wedding anniversary."

"I'm so sorry…"

"A few days later, I had an interview. Mayumi and I knew each other from before… and one thing led to another. But I felt so guilty that I told Misuzu immediately." He laughed mirthlessly. "Not only did she immediately file for divorce, but she also told the news station where Mayumi worked. And… despite that, Mayumi and I only became closer." He stared up at the sky, and his voice broke. "Then, all of a sudden, she was gone… Then Misuzu had a stillbirth…" Aika briefly wondered if it would look terribly improper if she hugged him right then and there. Namatame smiled gently down at her. "I'm sorry. I must be boring you."

"No…" Aika said quietly. "I… You're a really strong person, Namatame-san. If I were in your place, I don't think I would've ben able to go on…"

Namatame smiled wistfully at the river. "I just found something meaningful I can still do with my life. That's all that's been helping me carry on these past few months."

"I really admire that about you," Aika said honestly. She noticed just then that the sun was setting, and she stood up hurriedly. "Sorry, I have to go. It was really nice talking to you, Namatame-san."

"Thank you for listening to this old man's rambles, Aika-san," Namatame said, bowing his head in her direction.

Aika gave one last wave before heading home.

* * *

Aika was having a good day. First, she spent all morning and afternoon with Nanako and Kanji, just doing arts and crafts, and Kanji had sewn a cute little suit for Mr. Bun Bun. Then, at dinner that night, Uncle actually agreed to let her get a motorcycle license and, even better, let her use his old scooter. The only thing that could possibly ruin that good of a day was a clear image on the Midnight Channel…

… and that was exactly what she got. A boy with messy dark hair and a milky white face stood with his back to a wall. "You all think you can see me?" he asked in a low, dangerous voice. "You all think you know everything about me?" He chuckled darkly. "Then try and catch me."

Aika covered her mouth when the screen faded, and, as per routine, Yosuke called her immediately. "I… I don't know who that was…"

"I don't know him either," Yosuke said. "Have you ever seen him on the news or some television special?"

"No, never," Aika replied. "He looked so sad…"

"Yosuke!" Aika could hear Teddie yell on the other line. "Yosuke!"

"All right, already!" Youske snapped. "Sorry, I'm gonna give the phone to Ted."

There was a little bit of shuffling before Teddie's voice came loud and clear. "Hi, Aika-chan!"

"Hi Teddie."

"I finally got to see the Midnight Channel with my own eyes! Now I know exactly what's happening."

"Oh, that's right," Aika said. "So it's his Shadow, right? Just like with everyone else."

"Yup! That guy's suppressed emotions are resonating with the other side, which are picked up by the TVs over here. It's clear now that it's not being filmed by anyone. Mystery solved!"

"But for his Shadow to come on the Midnight Channel… he's already on the other side, isn't he?"

"I'm sure of it! So what's the plan, Aika-chan?"

"Wh-What are you asking _me_ for?" She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "All right… How about we meet up tomorrow and talk about it? It doesn't make sense just blindly jumping in, since this situation's so different."

"Got it! I knew I could count on you, Aika-chan!"

"That's enough, Ted!" Yosuke yelled on the other line. "Give me the phone!" More shuffling. "Sorry about that, Aika."

"No, it was actually pretty informative."

"So anyway… what happened this time? What happened to the blurry image we usually see in advance?"

"Um… Yosuke? Something's been bothering me… He said, 'Try and catch me'… And he looks like he's in high school… What if he's…?"

"Let's not jump to conclusions right now," Yosuke said much too calmly. "We'll meet up at headquarters tomorrow and discuss it with everyone. Well, good night."

"Good night…"

* * *

"Hey, Aika," Yosuke said, waving to her as she finally reached the food court of Junes. "Rise and Teddie are checking out the other side, so we'll go ahead and start the meeting. "Aika pulled a chair over from another table and sat in between Yosuke and Yukiko. "About what happened last night… you all saw it, right?"

Kanji clenched his fists. "Shit he said made my blood boil… That mumbling of his and those fishy eyes just pissed me off even more. Who the hell is he?"

Aika pulled her knees up to her chest. "Can I say what I told you yesterday?" she asked Yosuke.

"Sure, go ahead."

Aika exhaled slowly. "I think that guy might be the killer."

"You too?" Yukiko asked.

"It's just a hunch, but it makes sense," Chie said. "I mean, he looked like a high schooler, right?"

"He even taunted the viewers, saying 'Try and catch me'…" Yosuke added.

"Uh…" Kanji muttered. "So?"

"Okay, so let's say there's this high school student," Yosuke explained. "We'll call him X. For some random reason, who knows why, X is able to enter the other world. Then X, again for some random reason, starts throwing people into that world, intending to kill them. The police can't prove the other world exists, so it's the perfect crime. He can't possibly be caught. Now, imagine you're X, but after a while, people stop dying when you throw them in the TV. You don't know why. You want to kill King Moron, but the TV is out, so now you have to do it personally. Now the police are on to you. As a result you – I mean X – is a wanted criminal, and there's no place for him to run."

"So… you're saying he went into the other world to dodge the cops?" Kanji asked.

"We still don't know why he targeted people shown on TV," Yukiko pointed out. "But if he had a personal grudge against Mr. Morooka, that explains one thing. With a strong enough motive, wouldn't he forsake the untraceable TV method and try to kill Mr. Morooka on his own? If you think about it that way, it sort of makes sense why Mr. Morooka died without appearing on TV."

"But how is he going to get out?" Aika asked. "If Teddie's on this side with us, then he can't leave…"

"Y-You don't think…" Chie quipped. "H-He's gonna get all desperate and end it all…? He did look depressed, like it was the end of the world…" Aika had seen that look on Namatame's face enough times to recognize it on the boy's.

"I don't think that's it," Yosuke said. "The killer has to know that the people he threw into the TV have come back to this side. I can see missing Yukiko or Kanji, but Rise, a celebrity? There's no way the killer wouldn't know she's still alive. That means he knows there's a way out of the TV world. As for the rest… We'll just have to ask him face-to-face."

"Hey guys!" Rise called as she ran over to their table.

"Hey, good timing," Chie said. "How'd it go?"

"Not good," Rise replied. "There's not enough information to go on. But we're at least positive that someone's in there… Teddie's still looking."

"So maybe if we just found out who that guy is…" Aika suggested. "There's someone who might just know…"

"Wait, you're not talking about…" Yukiko said slowly.

"That kid detective?" Rise asked. "No offense, but I don't think he'll help us out after you told him off, Senpai."

Aika felt her face heat up as she hugged her knees. "There's… something I sort of forgot to tell you all… Naoto-kun came over for dinner that night."

"Say _what_?" Chie screeched.

"Uncle invited him home for dinner, so he came home," Aika explained. "I was still pretty mad at him, but then he… he _apologized_ to me…"

"Apologized in a 'sorry I pissed you off' kind of way?" Kanji asked.

"No, I think he actually _meant_ it," Aika said. "I… I don't know. He _sounded_ sincere, at least."

"I have his number," Kanji volunteered.

"You have his number?" everyone shouted simultaneously.

"You _do_ like him!" Aika squealed.

"S-Senpai!"

Naoto picked up on the third ring. "Shirogane speaking," he said immediately upon answering.

"N-Naoto-kun?" Aika said meekly. "U-Um… Th-This is Aika Nakamura."

"Ah, Aika-san," Naoto said. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I need to ask you something," Aika said. "I-It's about the investigation." Naoto went silent for a few seconds. "Naoto-kun?"

"His name is Mitsuo Kubo," Naoto said calmly.

"Who?"

"The suspect. You wanted to ask about him, I presume?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"He is a first year high school student at the local high school near Okina Station, and he worked at the store Souzai Daigaku in the central shopping district part-time. No outstanding violations of any kind, a thoroughly unremarkable, average student. I hope this information will suffice."

"Um…" Aika widened her eyes and waved her hand frantically at Yukiko. "C-Can I make sure I got all that?" Yukiko pulled out a notepad and a pen and stared at Aika expectantly. "So his name's Mitsuo Kubo… he's a first year at the high school near Okina Station… he used to work part-time at Souzai Daigaku… and he hasn't really done anything to stand out. Did I get all of that?"

"Yes," Naoto said.

Aika nodded to Yukiko, who smiled back and mouthed a silent "thanks". "U-Um… Th-Thank you, Naoto-kun. A-After what happened the last time you met with us too…"

"I thought we already established that I was out of line at our previous meeting," Naoto said. "But I do hope that you do not go about town advertising this information."

"We won't," Aika promised. "Thanks again for the help, Naoto-kun." She sighed as she hung up.

"I just thought of something…" Rise said. "The guy on the Midnight Channel? He came to our shop last week… Was he spying on me? Oh my god… I really was being targeted…"

"Dammit!" Kanji yelled, slamming his fist down on the table. "Freakin' punk!"

"Oh, _now_ I remember where I've seen him before!" Chie interjected. "Yukiko, it's that guy who was hitting on you back in April! Don't you remember, Aika? You were there with us!"

"W-Was I?" Aika asked. "S-Sorry, I don't remember. The first week of school was kind of a blur…"

"Oh, him!" Yosuke said. "The dude who got served by Yukiko in front of the school! Man, Chie, how'd you remember something like that?"

"Well, that was the first time he talked to her, but I remember he was always following her around," Chie said.

"I'm sorry," Yukiko said slowly. "Who are we talking about?"

"The dude who came right up to you at the school gates and called you Yuki!" Yosuke told her.

"Oh…" Yukiko said. "Really?"

"W-Wait a minute…" Aika quipped. "Wh-What if he kidnapped Yukiko to get back at her for rejecting him?"

"I didn't really reject him," Yukiko defended herself.

"He came up to me while I was busy working and asked, 'Don't the biker gangs bother you?'" Rise added. "Just going on and on about how biker gangs can't do anything unless they're in a pack and stuff… He seemed the type who just keeps talking, whether you like it or not… if that makes sense. I usually treat those people politely so they don't get offended, but I was so tired that I kinda ignored him. Was that why I was kidnapped…?"

"H-Huh?" Kanji asked. "Wait, I'm not a biker!" He groaned. "That damn special report… So that's why I got dragged into this."

"You know, I've heard he's been saying stuff about that announcer's affair, too," Chie said. "Lots of muttering about how women who cheat on their husbands should be executed."

"Except it was the other way around," Aika deadpanned. "But is this guy… really responsible for everything?"

"Let's go and find out!" Rise said excitedly.

* * *

Aika was beyond furious. Mitsuo Kubo actually had the _gall_ to design his domain after a _video game_. So this _was_ just a game to him… "Okay, so we use this thingy here…" Rise mused as she held out the black sphere they'd picked up, and darkness emanated from it. "Orb of Darkness? What's that supposed to be anyway?"

"It's a video game thing," Yosuke said fleetingly. "Can't believe he made the whole thing 8-Bit, though."

The doors before them opened automatically, revealing two identical boys in yellow sweaters, only one of them was cloaked in a shadowy aura. "You Mitsuo?" Kanji demanded. "You better be ready to pay, you bastard!"

"I knew it!" Aika interjected, pushing past Kanji. "He has a Shadow! That _wasn't_ him taunting us!"

"Everyone gets on my nerves!" what Aika presumed was the real Mitsuo ranted. "That's why I did it! What do you think of that? Say something, damn it!" The Shadow simply leered at him. "Nobody even thought of me after the first two people. That's why I went for the third one! I killed them!" Still, the Shadow said nothing. "What're you all quiet for?"

"Because…" the Shadow finally said in an ominous whisper. "I feel nothing…"

"What're you talking about?" Mitsuo demanded. "Make sense, damn it!"

Mitsuo sounded so lost and confused that all of her anger dissipated right then and there. "M-Mitsuo-kun!" Aika cried. "D-Don't…"

"Don't!" Yosuke snapped at Aika, grabbing her wrist. "Let the asshole get what's coming to him."

Aika looked away, but didn't try to break out of his hold. "B-But…"

"I… have nothing…" the Shadow said. "I am nothing… And you… are me…"

"That's enough!" Yukiko yelled. "He may be a murderer, but he's still like us!"

Mitsuo finally turned around to face them. "Wh-Who are you guys? How'd you get in here? Damn it, who the hell are you? What're you doing here?"

"Shut the hell up!" Kanji shouted. "We came after you!"

"Are you the killer?" Chie asked in a calmer voice.

And at that, Mitsuo smiled and laughed. It wasn't like how any of the Shadows Aika had faced laughed – his laugh was completely natural, almost as if he found the situation _funny_. "Of course I am! I'm the one behind everything! I don't give a damn what this imposter's saying! You hear that? You have nothing to do with me! Get out of my sight!" And, as quickly as it came, Mitsuo's blissful expression was gone, replaced by a panicked and hysterical one. "That goes for the rest of you, too… Why'd you chase me all the way here? I'll kill you… I'll kill all of you! I can do it, you know. I can do anything!"

"So you don't accept me…" the Shadow said in a dangerous whisper. Mitsuo groaned and collapsed, and darkness swirled into the Shadow's form.

"Look out!" Aika yelled to Mitsuo, running in front of him with her rod raised. What appeared to be a baby rose into the air, with strange blue writing she couldn't read floating around its head.

"Damn it, here we go again!" Yosuke groaned.

"Get ready, everyone!" Rise said. "Once we beat him, this case is as good as closed!"

The baby wailed, and then a large, pixelated knight appeared before them. "I am… a Shadow…" it said in a robotic voice. "Come… I'll end your emptiness."

"Is that thing supposed to be a game character?" Yosuke asked. "Geez, how insulting can he get?"

"You'll have to destroy the outer shell first," Rise told them.

"Okay," Aika said. "So the usual, then?" Aika smashed her Persona's card. "Do your thing, Aoandon!" _Tarunda! Rakunda! Sukunda!_

"C'mon, Kanji!" Chie yelled. "Let's do this!" They summoned both their Personae to attack the knight with physical blows.

"Ready, Teddie?" Yukiko asked. Within seconds, the knight was engulfed in fire and ice.

But then the knight retaliated, smacking its sword down on Yosuke and Aika. "We need to finish this thing off, now!" Yosuke yelled. "With me, okay?"

Aika nodded. "Okay." She smashed her card. "Aoandon!"

"Jiraiya!" Yosuke yelled as he hit his card as well. And then, wind sliced at the knight, and a giant ball of white light made it disintegrate. The baby-like Shadow dropped to the floor, staring downward. "Now's our chance!" Yosuke yelled. "Ready?"

"Ready!" the rest called, and they all attacked the Shadow with everything they had. Aika cast Megidola over and over again until she couldn't cast any more, but it was a strike from Teddie that finally took the Shadow down. Aika sank to her knees in exhaustion, panting heavily. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah," Aika replied shakily. "Just cast too many spells at once."

Yosuke helped her up a few seconds later, but a groan from Mitsuo diverted his attention to him. "Finally awake, huh? You've been a major pain in our ass."

"What the…?" Mitsuo gasped. "You guys… Who the hell are you guys?"

"It's over," Aika said. "The police think you're responsible for all the murders."

"Wh-What?"

But somehow, Aika couldn't bring herself to feel angry. "Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi, and Kinshiro Morooka. You should know this."

"All the cases…" Mitsuo said quietly. "All on me…" He laughed hysterically, smiling. "That's right, I did it!"

"You piece of shit!" Kanji yelled, raising his fist.

"And not just that bastard Morooka…" Mitsuo continued. "That stupid announcer and the Konishi bitch, too! I killed all of them! It was all me!" Behind him, the Shadow disappeared, and when Mitsuo noticed, he laughed a little more gleefully. "It's gone… That frickin' monster disappeared… Take that, son of a bitch!"

Aika tried catching him before he could collapse, but he was too heavy, and she went down with him. "Mitsuo-kun…"

"He's exhausted," Rise said calmly. "We need to get him out of here."

* * *

Mitsuo came to a few minutes after everyone climbed out of the TV. "Where… am I…?"

Chie and Yukiko were physically restraining Kanji, and Yosuke looked about ready to snap, so Aika held his hand tightly. "You're in Junes," she said calmly. "You know, the department store?"

Mitsuo looked completely dazed. "Why… am I here…? What the hell are you guys…?" He grimaced, his face contorting in pain. "Stop it… Why did the TV…" He groaned as he put his head in his hands.

"Are you okay?" Aika asked concernedly.

"Why are you taking his side?" Yosuke yelled.

"I'm not taking his side!"

"You seem confused from everything that happened," Teddie said to Mitsuo, "But we have a bunch of questions for you. First off, why did you do all this? Answer in ten words or less!"

"Teddie, stop!" Aika yelled. "Can't you see he's exhausted?"

"Aika, he's a _murderer_," Yosuke said. "He doesn't deserve any sympathy."

"How can you expect him to answer our questions when he can barely even talk?"

Mitsuo laughed weakly. "What the hell…? Is that a costume…? What a loser… Get out of my face, you freak…"

"F-Freak?" Teddie repeated, growling in anger.

Aika dropped down to her knees so she could look Mitsuo square in the eye. "Did you really do it?" she asked evenly.

"You…" Mitsuo said. "Now I know who you are… You're that Dojima girl… That detective… He's an asshole…"

Aika bristled, but forced herself to at least look calm. "Just answer the question."

"Get off my back…" Mitsuo said weakly. "I already told you… I did it…"

"Why?" Rise asked. "How could you do such a thing?"

"Three people are dead because of you…" Chie reprimanded him.

But Mitsuo just laughed. "E-Everyone's talking about it, right? It's a huge deal… and I did it! All of it! All by myself…!"

"You just did it for the attention?" Yosuke demanded, looking absolutely furious.

"Then why did you target me and the others?" Yukiko asked angrily. "How did you kidnap us?"

Mitsuo panted heavily, and for a second, Aika thought he was going to pass out again. "Whoa, look who it is… Hey, Yuki… After all this time… now you wanna talk to me? What bullshit."

"Answer me!" Yukiko yelled. "If you had a grudge against me, that's fine! But why the others?"

Mitsuo's laugh was getting weaker by the minute. "What a joke… You're so desperate it hurts… I didn't care who I attacked… Everyone pisses me off…"

"You what?" Yosuke practically snarled, and his fists were clenched so tightly that Aika was sure that he was going to hit Mitsuo sooner or later. "You killed Senpai over nothing? You son of a bitch!"

"You're gonna get what's comin' to you," Kanji threatened.

"What, you gonna kill me?" Mitsuo retorted.

But Kanji grabbed Mitsuo's shirt and lifted him up. "Kill you? It ain't gonna be that easy, you piece of shit. What you did can never be taken back. No, you're gonna own up to your crimes, and you're gonna pay for what you did. You ain't gonna be allowed to kick the bucket until you understand what it is you've done!" Kanji dropped Mitsuo unceremoniously to the ground.

"Why, damn it?" Yosuke ranted. "Why did she have to die because of this bastard?" He was shaking in so much pain and rage that Aika just wanted to hug him like she did that day when they went to the hill overlooking the town.

Aika stood up slowly, and she couldn't understand, for the life of her, why everything felt so _wrong_. "We need to call the police," she said quietly. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her Uncle's number, knowing that he'd pick up. "Hello, Uncle? Um… I think we found the killer."

* * *

Aika didn't get out of questioning until almost one in the morning. Everyone on the investigation team was questioned individually, with each session taking almost exactly the same amount of time. And, as she drew the longest straw, Aika was the last to be questioned.

She walked out of the interrogation room, yawning tiredly, only to see Yosuke fast asleep on a bench outside. Touched by his gesture, she nudged him awake. "Yosuke, wake up."

Yosuke woke up slowly. "Huh…?" His brown eyes blinked open, and he rubbed them sleepily. "Hey, Aika…" He yawned and stretched his arms backward. "You're finally done?"

"Yeah," Aika replied. "Come on. Let's go home."

"Y-Yeah," Yosuke said, yawning again. "I'll walk you home." And for a while, they walked in silence. When they finally made it to the Dojima household, Yosuke spoke up again. "Hey… I'm sorry for yelling at you like that… Back in Junes, remember?"

"Yeah…" Aika said quietly. "Um… To tell you the truth… I don't know."

"About what?"

"About Mitsuo." Aika sighed. "I don't know… I don't… I don't think he's the culprit."

"Say _what_?" Yosuke almost yelled.

"Come inside," Aika said. "I'll explain there. But we have to be quiet, because Nanako's probably asleep."

"Gotcha," Yosuke said. Once they were inside, Aika turned on as few lights as possible and made two steaming cups of tea for herself and Yosuke. She had a pounding headache now, and tea was exactly what she needed to alleviate it. "So… why don't you think it was him?"

Aika sat down on the couch next to Yosuke and leaned against him tiredly. "I know this sounds weird, especially since he said he was just doing it for the attention, but…" She sighed and stared at her reflection in the tea. "It just… sounded like he was trying too hard to convince us that he was the culprit. He just… owned up to it too easily, I guess. And he actually went willingly with the police… I… I almost felt _sorry_ for him."

"Aika, that bastard murdered three people—"

"I don't think he did," Aika said again. "And I don't think he kidnapped everyone else either." She sighed. "I'm sorry… I'm just… having a hard time accepting that this might really be over, I guess…"

Yosuke slid downward and rested his head on top of hers. "You and me, both."

He yawned so widely that Aika could see moisture in his eyes afterward. "You shouldn't walk all the way back home when you're so tired. Stay here for the night."

"If people were getting the wrong idea about us before, they _definitely_ will if they see me walking out of here tomorrow morning. But…" He smiled gently down at her. "I don't really care anymore."

Aika smiled back. "Neither do I."

"So… we'll just go upstairs and—"

"Sleep," Aika finished. "We're going to bed. I'm too tired to do anything else."

"N-No, I wasn't asking if…" Yosuke sighed exasperatedly. "Never mind."

"Wait a minute… I don't think we have a spare futon, and Uncle will _definitely_ notice if you use his…" She blushed, and she put bot hands on her cheeks in embarrassment.

"What?" Yosuke asked concernedly. "What's wrong?"

"Um… W-We could…" But the words died in her throat, and her face felt like it was melting clean off.

Yosuke's eyebrows shot upward. "… Share?" he finished. "U-Um… I-If it's all right with you… A-And if we both fit, of course."

"W-We should… I-I'll set my alarm early so that we'll get up before Nanako does…"

"Y-Yeah, that sounds like a good idea…"

But when they finally settled in, though it was so cramped that Yosuke had to put one arm over her just so that he could fit, Aika fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

**Social Links:**

The Fool: the Investigation Team  
The Magician: Yosuke Hanamura  
The High Priestess: Yukiko Amagi  
The Empress: Margaret  
The Emperor: Kanji Tatsumi  
The Hierophant: Ryotaro Dojima  
The Chariot: Chie Satonaka  
The Justice: Nanako Dojima  
The Hermit: Kaede the Fox  
The Wheel of Fortune: Naoto Shirogane  
The Hanged Man: Naoki Konishi  
The Deah: Taro Namatame  
The Star: Teddie  
The Moon: Tohru Adachi  
The Sun: Fuuji and Masami Nakamura

* * *

_Aika spent a "long time" with Yosuke… but sadly did not get the D. (Not yet, anyway.)_

_So… what did you think? This is the shortest chapter since Chapter 1, which was an introductory chapter more than anything… Should I go back to the usual format? Or do you like this one better?_

_Also, hey, Naoto's Social Link is different. Because Aika is a sensitive little shit who's affected by the Social Links on a mental level a lot more than Yu ever was. Being a therapist to everyone is hard work, people._

_And… I fail at writing romance forever._

_Please review!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Fun fact: Aika's Japanese voice actress voices Madoka in "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," and her English voice actress voices Kyubey in the same anime. WOO, DRAMA. Best instances of their respective voices: Japanese = all over the place; English = episode 9, before Kyouko and Sayaka… you know…_

* * *

Aika knew from the moment she woke up the next morning that it was not going to be a good day. She woke up to Nanako crying out: "Oh, did you have a sleepover with Yosuke-san?" Which was bad enough, in and of itself, especially since both she and Yosuke slept right through the alarm that surely went off long before Nanako woke up.

To make matters worse, Naoto came over that morning for breakfast, and Aika didn't miss the way his eyes fixated on Yosuke's tousled hair and crumpled shirt as he and Aika finally came downstairs. "Dojima-san sent me here to check up on you, Aika-san," Naoto said, "though he said nothing about Hanamura-kun."

"Speaking of that…" Aika said slowly as she piled some of the eggs that _Naoto_ evidently had made onto a plate. "… can you not tell him about this?"

"Why, do you think Dad's gonna get mad?" Nanako asked. "But he lets me go to Mana-chan's house all the time for sleepovers, so what's wrong with Yosuke-san coming _here_ for a sleepover?"

"No, trust me, if it's just me, he'll filet me," Yosuke said.

"Oh…" Nanako said understandingly, rubbing her chin. "Is it because you think he'll get mad at you for staying up all night and eating lots of candy to stay awake? But you guys were sleeping, and all the candy was still there… But you _did_ come home really late last night…"

"Actually, Nanako-chan, your father will assume that Aika-san and Hanamura-kun engaged—" Naoto tried explaining.

"No!" Aika shrieked. "We are _not_ having this conversation, and no one is saying _anything_ about this to Uncle, all right?"

Naoto simply raised his eyebrows. "Perhaps you should just tell your uncle that Hanamura-kun is your boyfriend," he suggested. "Or would that make the situation more complicated…?"

"He's not my—" Aika started to say on impulse, but then she cut herself off as she stared at Yosuke. _Could_ she honestly say that after she practically invited Yosuke to her bed? Sure, they didn't do anything but sleep beside one another, but…

"Yeah," Yosuke said finally. "I guess you're my girlfriend now… if that's okay with you."

Aika, not entirely sure what was happening and even less sure if Yosuke was being completely serious, nodded shakily. "S-Sure…"

A ghost of a smile graced Naoto's features. "I see…"

But when Aika looked to Yosuke, he just stared back at her with a confused expression.

* * *

Teddie sighed sentimentally. "Rise-chan was right," he said. "This celebration _does_ make me feel like it's over… The case really has come to an end…"

"Wow!" Nanako gushed. "It's really Rise-chan!"

"I should go back over there soon…" Teddie said sadly.

"Are you going somewhere?" Nanako asked.

"Yep…" Teddie sighed again. "They all kept their promise.

"A promise, huh…?" She rubbed her chin contemplatively. "What if you made a promise with me? Could you stay then? Um… A promise that you'll play with me. How about that?"

"Yes!" Teddie said immediately, clasping both her hands and staring intently into her eyes. "I swear with all my heart that I won't leave until I finish playing with Nana-chan! It's a promise!"

"Yeesh, could you keep it down over there?" Yosuke asked from the kitchen table. "You know this probably means that you'll have to enroll in school, right? If you're gonna stay here for longer. Now you'll _really_ be a foreign exchange student… heavy emphasis on the 'foreign' part…"

"I don't get why you guys wouldn't let me cook," Aika grumbled from her chair by the kitchen table, crossing her arms and glaring at nothing in particular.

"Because you're kind of a control freak in the kitchen," Chie replied bluntly. "No offense."

"And when you're out grocery shopping," Yukiko added.

"Um…" Rise piped up. "We just figured that you'd be super tired, since you got out of questioning really late last night?"

"But Big Sis and Yosuke-san slept in really late this morning!" Nanako called to the kitchen.

Chie promptly dropped the porcelain bowl she was holding, and Aika grimaced as it shattered. "Say _what_?"

"Oh, so you guys had a sleepover," Yukiko said.

"Yeah!" Nanako replied. "Then Naoto-kun came over, and Big Sis made us promise not to tell Dad about the sleepover, even though they didn't really do anything wrong…"

"Wha—Senpai!" Rise gasped. "I didn't know you had that in you!"

"Yosuke-senpai…" Kanji whispered, sounding impressed. "Aika-senpai…"

"Oh, I get it!" Teddie said suddenly. "Yosuke _scored_ with Aika-chan!"

"N-No I didn't!" Yosuke denied quickly.

"If anyone brings up 'scoring' _one more time_…" Yukiko practically growled.

"It's ready!" Rise squealed. "Incoming food! Out of the way, Senpai!" Rise shoved Yosuke violently out of the way and slid a plate of suspiciously red omelette onto the table. Chie and Yukiko followed suit, much more demurely. "Bon apetit!"

"W-Wait a sec!" Yosuke protested. "Asking Nanako-chan and Aika-chan to jump in and try these for us is kinda… unethical."

"Why did you lump me with her?" Aika deadpanned.

"Girlfriend privilege," Yosuke hissed to her. "I think. I'm not sure."

"Oh…" Kanji said slowly before anyone else could get a word in. "So it's our job to taste it first, to make sure we can keep it down."

"Hey, that's mean!" Rise cried indignantly. "Okay, so Aika-senpai should try mine first, since she has more… refined tastes. It's guaranteed delicious!"

"H-Hold up, maybe I should—" Yosuke protested, but Aika had already taken a bite of the omelette… and was already choking on it because it was so spicy.

Kanji slapped her on the back a few times, which hurt more than she liked to admit, and Nanako helpfully passed her a glass of water. "I-I don't think Nanako should eat this…"

"Now, now, Senpai," Rise said, waving her finger and smiling gleefully. "I know it's delicious, but you _have_ to share with your little sister."

"Hey, let me try," Yosuke said. "I mean, Risette cooked it herself, right?"

"I-I don't think that's such a good idea…" Aika said stiffly. "Seriously. Don't eat it. No offense, Rise-chan."

"Here, try mine next," Yukiko said before Rise could say a word in her defense.

"I'll take this one!" Kanji said excitedly, piling a generous amount onto his plate. He took two bites, his easygoing grin disappearing more and more with each bite. "Well… uh… how do I put this…? It tastes really… um… boneless?"

"What?" Yukiko snapped. "That's not a word you use to describe taste! Does it taste good or not? Tell me!"

"Not good, that's for sure…" Kanji said uncertainly. "It tastes like… like I'm eating plain oatmeal… It's pretty impressive that you put so many ingredients into a dish and it came out tasting like nothing."

"Y-Your palette just isn't refined enough!" Yukiko said defensively.

Without warning, Nanako reached over to take a bite of Yukiko's omelette. "I think it tastes good!" she lied with a smile, and Aika sighed in relief.

"Try mine next!" Chie said excitedly. "I don't know about this… But I think it'll taste good! This time for sure!"

"I'll give it a whirl," Teddie said. He took one bite and grinned. "Wow, this tastes really awful! Yosuke, you've got to try this."

"Not after you say that…" Yosuke muttered as he took a bite. "Well, it's a huge improvement over the curry."

Nanako took a bite out of Chie's omelette. "I think this tastes good too!"

"Thank you, Nanako-chan!" Chie said. "See? At least mine's better than _someone_'s." Chie jerked her head in Rise's direction.

"I-It's a taste too subtle for kids!" Rise said, pouting and sniffling. "It's a mature flavor!"

Nanako took a bite and gasped. "I-It's spicy, but it's still good."

"Nanako-chan!" Rise gasped, and then the idol was hugging the smaller girl, almost suffocating her. "I knew it! Nanako-chan's the most mature one in this room!"

"Oh yeah," Kanji said. "Aika-senpai. Didn't you sort of already have one ready?"

"What the—" Chie spluttered. "B-But we said…"

Aika got up, smirking slightly. "I'll go get it."

"Yay!" Nanako said cheerfully. "I love Big Sis's omelettes!"

"Senpai…" Rise whined.

"I made it, just in case," Aika said bluntly as she laid it out on the table, and Nanako, Yosuke, Teddie, and Kanji began digging into it voraciously, "_before_ you guys came. Yosuke helped."

"I cooked the rice!" Yosuke said cheerfully, holding his chopsticks proudly in the air.

Chie groaned. "Seriously, you guys…"

* * *

"Good morning, sunshine!" her mother said cheerfully (and loudly) on the phone next morning.

Aika rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Oh…" Masami said slowly. "Earlier than the crack of dawn, evidently, since I woke you up… Sorry about that."

Aika sighed and shook her head. "So what's up?"  
"So there's a Satomi Tadashi opening up in Inaba. Mind checking it out for us?"

"Really?" Aika asked, frowning. "A Satomi Tadashi opening up _here_? Why didn't you just come here then, instead of going overseas?"

"We go where we're assigned, Aika-chan," Masami said seriously, though Aika could tell her mother was lying. "You don't have to do anything. Just go, scope out the place, and tell me how it is, okay?"

"Okay…" Aika replied uncertainly.

And that was how she found herself outside Satomi Tadashi that morning. It didn't look all that different from any of the other Satomi Tadashis she'd seen in her lifetime, but it appeared a bit more… homey, in a way. The merchandise was organized exactly as she remembered it, with the stronger medicines closer to the back of the store than the front, and that irritating jingle played incessantly, as always. And, before long, Aika found herself singing along with the jingle before slapping her cheeks twice to snap herself out of it.

A woman with short brown hair came from the front of the store. "Welcome! Is there something I can help you with?"

"Um…" Aika mumbled. The woman looked nice enough – then again, all employees did. "I was just… looking…"

The woman smiled sheepishly. "I think the cold medicine you're looking at might be a bit too strong for you."

"I wasn't looking for cold medicine," Aika said quietly.

The woman chuckled and held out her hand. "Well, this has been sufficiently awkward. I'm Tamaki Uchida, and I'm kind of new to town."

"Aika Nakamura," Aika said as she shook Tamaki's hand. "I'm, um…. sort of new, too. I moved here in the spring."

"Oh, nice!" Tamaki said. "So we're kind of the same, then."

"Y-Yeah, I guess…"

"Oi, Tamaki!" a slightly nasally voice shouted from somewhere behind Aika. "What d'you think you're— Oh."

"Right," Tamaki said pointedly. "A _customer_. You know what those are, right Tadashi? They come here to buy our stuff. We're supposed to be nice to them on principle."

"Hey, no need to treat me like an idiot!" the man Tadashi, who was now behind Aika, yelled. He was thin and wiry, with oily black hair and glasses. "Dad put me in charge of this branch!"

"Yeah, out in the _boonies_!" Tamaki shot back. "Which _clearly_ means he wants you out of the way!"

"It's all _your_ fault! If you didn't marry me, then I wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Uh, hello? You _proposed_ to me in the first place!"

"Um…" Aika piped up.

"Yeah, well my family hates you, _thank you very much_."

Tamaki poked Tadashi harshly in the chest. "Really? Because _I _was under the impression that they think I'm the best thing that ever happened to you."

"Hey!" Aika shouted.

"What?" Tamaki and Tadashi yelled back simultaneously.

Aika stared downward. "I'll just… go…"

"No, don't go!" Tadashi said, blocking her way out of the aisle. "I promise, it's not always like this. Tamaki isn't always such a bitch."

"Uh, excuse you!" Tamaki yelled back. "I was handling the customer perfectly well, but _you _had to come in, guns blazing—"

"Can I please just go?" Aika begged.

And for once, both Tamaki and Tadashi were silent. "Well this is just sad," Tamaki said. "Um… I'm really sorry about this. If there's anything we can do to make up to you, please let us know."

"We could give you a job here," Tadashi drawled. "No interview, no red tape, no nothing – and you'll get paid. Just… don't tell anyone about this, uh… what did you say your name was again?"

"Aika Nakamura," Aika and Tamaki said simultaneously, and Tamaki put her hands on Aika's shoulders, grinning.

"Nakamura, huh…?" Tadashi asked, but then his eyes widened in horror. "Wait, you're not—"

"I am," Aika said, already knowing where he was going with this.

"But…" Tadashi spluttered. "But she…"

"I know," Aika said, nodding. "I'm not as crazy as she is."

"What are you guys talking about?" Tamaki asked.

"You're hired!" Tadashi said automatically. "I'm heading back to the stock room. Join me there later or something, Tamaki."

Aika turned to face Tamaki as soon as Tadashi left. "What was that about?" the older woman asked.

"He's scared of my mom," Aika replied simply. "She tends to do that to people."

"Oh, I see," Tamaki said. "So… what do you need to know…? I'll need you to come in for training sometime within the week. Just wear white clothes, and we'll get you a nice red apron, and then you'll be set."

Aika exhaled slowly, still not entirely sure what just happened. "Okay… I guess…" And then…

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Temperance Arcanum…_

"So I'll, um… see you, then," Aika said.

Tamaki smiled warmly. "See you, Aika-chan."

* * *

Rise gave Aika's arm a violent tug as she pulled the shorter girl into her room. "Senpai, I'm very disappointed in you," she said. "Nanako-chan told me that you didn't even know who I was before I showed up on the news."

Aika felt her face heat up. "W-Well, I knew who you _were_, but—"

"That's not the point!" Rise snapped. "What I'm _trying_ to say is that _you live under a rock_, Senpai! I mean, I bet you don't even know what MUSES is!"

"You mean the Greek ones?" Aika asked. "I've been reading up a lot on mythology ever since we got our Personas, so—"

"The _band_, Senpai!" Rise cut her off, her voice rising in pitch and volume. "The _idol group_! They were _huge_ about five years ago, and…" Rise grabbed both of Aika's hands and pressed her forehead to hers. "They're what inspired me to become an idol in the first place, okay? So you _have_ to know who they are!"

"Um…" Aika mumbled, leaning backward to pull her face away from Rise's. "I'm sorry?"

Rise pouted and whirled around, crossing her arms. "You're hopeless, Senpai. You need a music education. And you're getting one today." She stomped over to a large CD player and pressed a few buttons on it. Before long, pop music much like the kind Nanako listened to started playing. "Do you at least know how many people are in MUSES?"

"Five?" Aika guessed.

Rise smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "_Three_, Senpai. Sheba, Mee-ho, and Ginko. Ginko's the lead singer, and she's, like, my favorite person _ever_. Like, if I could ever meet her, my life would be made."

Aika picked up the CD case lying a little ways away from the CD player and stared at the three girls on the front – a blue-haired girl, a blonde girl, and a pink-haired girl. "Wow, they _really_ went all out with their hair. You didn't dye your hair, right?"

"Just a little," Rise admitted. "Actually, Sheba and Mee-ho are the only ones who actually dyed their hair. Ginko's a natural blonde."

Aika raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Seriously?"

"Okay, look," Rise said seriously. "Ginko's real name is Lisa Silverman. Her parents are American, but she was born and raised here in Japan, so she's just like all of us. But back when she was a little girl, she got a lot of flack for it, you know? Because she looked different from everybody else, even though she acted the same and spoke the same language. But then, somehow, she overcame _all_ of that and won the beauty pageant in her high school and became an idol, and now she works for the industry itself, even though she doesn't perform anymore!" Rise sighed. "I want to be just like her when I get to be her age."

"You seem to admire her a lot," Aika said with a smile.

"I can relate to her so well," Rise admitted. "I mean, I'm full Japanese, so I never had to deal with the… culture clash or anything, but… I wasn't always like this, you know? I used to be really shy, and people used to pick on me because I'd never stand up for myself. Actually… it's because of Lisa that I grew out of that at all."

Aika turned the CD cover over and noticed the curly black script inscribed in English there. "'Be true to yourself'…" she read.

"Be true… to yourself…" Rise echoed faintly. "But how can I do that if I don't even know what the real me is?"

"Remember what you said back when you faced your Shadow?" Aika reminded her. "You said that everything – the Shadow, Risette, and whatever you are now – are all a part of you. So… just be true to all of that. I mean…" Aika flipped the cover over again and stared at the blonde girl in the middle. "I don't know much about this person, but from what you said, it sounds like she might've gone through what you're going through right now. So… you said you wanted to be like her, right? You already _are_."

"Y-You really think so?" Aika smiled and nodded, and within seconds, Rise's arms were around her neck. "Thanks, Senpai! You're the best!" At that, another Social Link formed.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Lovers Arcanum…_

Aika smiled faintly as she hugged Rise back. _About time…_

"All right," Rise said, pulling away quickly. "Enough with MUSES. Now I'm going to show you one of my juniors, Kanamin!"

* * *

Aika tugged at the sleeves of her yukata self-consciously. "Would you stop fidgeting, already?" Chie asked impatiently. "It looks fine!"

"Y-You're sure?" Aika mumbled.

"Absolutely," Yukiko said gently. "I mean, I _did_ tie it for you."

Aika grasped her arm tightly and looked downward. "S-Sorry… I'm not used to wearing these…"

"It's kinda hard to walk…" Nanako said. She suddenly giggled and pointed to three boys standing a little ways away. "There they are!"

Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie turned around to faced them, and Kanji turned away immediately as Yosuke's face flushed scarlet and Teddie grinned. "Nana-chan, you look so cute!" Teddie said. "I'm head over heels for you!"

Nanako giggled. "Thank you, Teddie!"

"Sorry we took so long," Chie said. "Aika's a total noob at this."

"I am not!" Aika yelled back. "Well… I-I guess I sort of am…"

Rise giggled. "Aika-senpai's got even less experience with yukatas than Nanako-chan," she said. "Yukiko-senpai had to help her put hers on."

Aika blushed as she saw Yosuke's face grow even redder. "S-Stop it…"

Yosuke cleared his throat and looked to Kanji. "C-C'mon, Kanji… Don't tell me you're ashamed to look! What are you, a monk?"

"Th-That ain't it!" Kanji denied fiercely.

Rise giggled. "You're so cute, Kanji."

"Oh, so it looks like you're all here."

"Dad!" Nanako cried, just as Aika shouted: "Uncle!" Sure enough, Ryotaro Dojima was there, dressed in his normal clothes, but looking far more relaxed than usual. "They bought me cotton candy!" Nanako said cheerfully.

"Did they, now?" Uncle asked, chuckling. "All right, then. Wanna go over and do the target prac—I mean, game with me?" Aika giggled.

"Uh-huh!" Nanako replied cheerfully. "Let's go!"

"I'll take Nanako from here," Uncle said helpfully to Aika. "Thanks for taking care of her. Now you can spend some quality time with your boyfriend."

"Wait, hold up," Chie said. "_Boyfriend_? Since _when_?"

"I heard from Shirogane," Uncle said.

"Aika-senpai!" Rise whined. "You told Naoto-kun and not us? How _could _you?"

"Bye-bye!" Nanako said, waving as she left with Uncle, and everyone waved back at her.

"Ooh, I know!" Teddie said. "We should let them have some _quality time _together!"

"Uh, that's what Dojima-san just said," Kanji deadpanned.

"A couple walking together at a festival…" Teddie mused. "Unused to wearing it, the girl's yukata comes loose… Summer has begun."

Chie unleashed a growl much like the ones she usually gave Shadows. "Yosuke, you try anything funny with Aika, and you'll be in for a _world_ of heart. _Critical hit to the nads_."

"Hey!" Yosuke yelped. "I wasn't going to—"

"Come on, everyone," Rise said quickly. "Let's leave the happy couple alone."

And Aika still couldn't bring herself to say anything after they left. "So…" Yosuke said awkwardly. "Happy couple. Us."

"Yeah," Aika said flatly. "So it's official now."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Seriously, though. Was it ever _not_ official?"

"I distinctly remember you telling me before that you didn't want to… do anything about it until you were sure you wouldn't compare me to Saki-senpai, so… evidently you're not doing that now."

"No, I'm not."

"So."

"So."

Aika groaned and tugged at her hair. "This is so weird! What are couples even supposed to _do_ anyway?"

Yosuke shrugged. "I dunno… Couple-y stuff?"

"What does that even _mean_?"

"Maybe…" Yosuke scratched the back of his head. "I'm supposed to kiss you, or something? I don't know… Do you _want_ me to kiss you?"

Aika flushed scarlet. "Right _now_?"

Yosuke shrugged again. "I'll take that as a no."

Aika sighed. "Can we _not_ be a couple if it's going to be this _awkward_?"

Yosuke raised his eyebrows. "Or… we could just carry on like we always… except, you know, be a little more free with each other. And we can always mix the couple-y stuff in later."

Aika clasped her hands tightly together. "Would that… be okay?"

The tiniest of smiles graced his features. "I don't see why not." And then, suddenly, he started laughing. "Wow… I had all these strategies planned out on how to get a girlfriend, but I have no clue what to do now that I actually _have_ one…"

Aika pouted. "Speak for yourself. I never thought about this stuff at all."

"Well then…" Yosuke said before bowing his head and offering Aika his arm. "If you would do me the honor of accompanying me on this fine summer's night, Aika-chan."

Aika giggled as she took his arm. "It would be my pleasure, Yosuke-kun." And, somehow, things got a lot less awkward as she and Yosuke focused more on the festival, and less on their new couple status. All in all, it was a good night.

* * *

And, all too quickly, the summer came to a close, and Aika found herself returning to school once September rolled around. She walked with Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko, chatting idly, her fingers entwined with Yosuke's and swinging her arm back and forth, until… "N-Naoto-kun?"

"Good morning," the detective said pleasantly. "Ah, Aika-san, Hanamura-kun. I see you've… sorted things out."

"H-Hey, mind your own business!" Yosuke snapped.

"Um…" Yukiko quipped. "You know this is a high school, right?"

Naoto seemed to wilt a little. "My cooperation with the police has come to an end. However, there are aspects of the case with which I remain unconvinced. There are some family-related issues as well, so I've decided to stay here for the present. From today forth, I'll be a first year at your high school. I felt that I should at least introduce myself to you all."

"Uh, haven't you done that already?" Chie asked.

"Seriously, Naoto-kun," Aika said, smiling and shaking her head. "How many times are you going to introduce yourself to me? I mean, you come over for dinner at least once a week. I'm pretty sure I know who you are by now." _And I have a Social Link with you, too. No big deal._

Naoto smiled faintly. "Well then, I trust our relations will be cordial… Senpai."

"Wh-What did you just call me?" Aika stammered, feeling her face heat up. But Naoto was already walking away.

"Senpai?" Chie echoed. "That detective boy's our underclassman?"

"Um…" Aika mumbled. "Hey, Naoto-kun! Do you want to join our club?"

Naoto turned around and raised his eyebrows. "A school club?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah, we're all in it," Aika said. "It's a literature club. You're welcome to join us if you want… right, Yosuke?"

"Yeah, absolutely!" Yosuke said. "You don't know anyone here besides us, right?"

"Thank you for the offer," Naoto said, "but I'll have to think about it."

And after that, they day passed by dully enough. After school, the group headed to Junes, sitting at their usual spot. "I hope he'll be okay at Yasogami…" Aika sighed.

"Who, Naoto-kun?" Yosuke asked. "I heard he totally blew his debut at school."

"He's in my class, y'know," Kanji said, before glaring at Aika and pointing an accusing finger at her. "And don't you say anything, Senpai! Anyway, he wouldn't hang out with anyone but me." Aika smiled, and Kanji pointed his finger at her again. "Say one word, and you die."

"Speaking of which, what did he say about the murder case?" Chie asked. "Something about being unconvinced?"

"He's some ace detective, right?" Yosuke asked. "I bet he's not satisfied, even though the case is closed."

"But what if…" Aika mumbled. "What if the case _isn't_ closed…?"

"Hold it right there, Senpai," Rise said. "Let's just talk about something else, okay?"

"Isn't the class trip coming up soon?" Yukiko asked. "We're going to Tatsumi Port Island. I heard that it's an artificial island that faces the ocean. It's a pretty big city. Didn't you live there before, Aika?"

"Yeah, back in grade school," Aika said. "Wasn't there some weird stuff going on there a couple years ago?"

"No idea," Rise said. "I did tons of shoots there. It's just beyond the Moonlight Bridge, yeah?"

"Apparently there was a huge explosion there about twelve years ago," Aika quipped.

"Nope," Chie said. "Nuh-uh. We are _not_ talking about apocalypses at the place where we're going! Anyway, we might not have any time to goof off during this trip. I heard the school board is changing the trip's schedule this year. The idea is, we're gonna visit a private school there. Like, to have local and urban students interact or something. It'll be all about studying and serious business… Yuck."

"Ugh…" Rise groaned. "They're _totally _missing the point of a class trip."

"Private school…" Aika mused. "You mean Gekkoukan High? The whole school was remodeled about twelve years ago, so the buildings are really nice."

"But it's closed on the day we're going there, so they're going the extra mile to make this work," Chie concluded. "They want us to tour some factories on the second day, and then we're coming back on the third day."

"That's no different from a social studies field trip!" Yosuke complained. "Ugh, I didn't want to know that…"

"Can't expect much from a school-sponsored trip, I guess," Kanji said. "Well, we'll be around, so if it starts to drag, we can ditch."

"I'll show you guys around!" Rise volunteered.

"But we're in different years…" Yosuke protested.

"Oh, didn't you know?" Yukiko asked. "The excursion will be like the school campout. They're going to combine the first and second years. Since student enrollment is down and they're low on funds, they've cut the excursion down to once every two years."

"Gosh, I'm trying to remember the last time I went to Port Island and I wasn't working…" Rise said with a giggle. "This'll be great!"

"Oh, come on," Yosuke grumbled. "Don't tell me no one's _against_ this."

"Some people were against the proposition," Chie said, "but it's been decided. And guess whose idea it was – King Moron's."

"No, King Moron!" Yosuke wailed. "Why must you torture us from beyond the grave?"

"No, King Moron!" Aika heard Teddie mimic Yosuke. Sure enough, the bear waddled over, looking glum.

"You don't even know who that is," Kanji pointed out.

"Hey, tell me more about this trip," Teddie said excitedly. "Where is Port Island? What's there?"

"Get back to work, will you?" Yosuke grumbled.

"Well, even though the class trip is coming up, it's still a ways away," Chie said. "What should I do until then?"

"Well, it's not like there's much to do here in the first place," Kanji pointed out. "Man is just an animal trying to figure out how to kill time through his days…"

"That was very profound, Kanji," Aika said. "Did you get that one from Naoto-kun?"

"You're _dead_, Senpai."

Yukiko snorted in laughter.

* * *

"All righty then," Ms. Kashiwagi said outside the hotel after a long day of lectures at Port Island. "Here we are. The Seaside Clamshell Inn. We'll be staying here tonight." The teacher grinned and winked. "So, what do you think? I picked this place out all by myself. It just opened up not too long ago. It's got that modern look – and the price was just right! Personally, I think it's an excellent choice."

Yosuke nudged Aika. "Hey… Isn't there something a little funny about this place?"

"Um…" Aika mumbled, her face turning a furious shade of red. "Th-This is…"

"This area is called Shirakawa Boulevard," Rise explained. "It's…"

"That's okay, Rise," Yosuke said quickly. "I don't think I want to know."

"The hell are you doin'?" Kanji yelled suddenly, shaking his fist in the air. And in the direction where he was looking was…

"T-Teddie?" Aika gasped. "Wh-What are _you_ doing here?"

"The lonely bear in me went stir crazy!" Teddie said simply.

Rise groaned in frustration. "If only I could detect people in the real world…"

"H-How did you even get here?" Chie asked. "Do you have some special powers or something?"

"Eh, I took the train," Teddie replied. "I swore off Topsicles and saved up the money I got working at Junes. I knew exactly what you were going thanks to Yosuke's trip guide. You guys have free time tomorrow, right? No use hiding it! I already know!"

"You rode the train all the way here?" Aika asked. "And… you didn't _die_?"

"Huh?" Teddie asked. "Train rides can kill you?"

"No they can't," Rise said. "But… who dies on train rides anyway?"

"Aika," Chie said.

"Aika," said Yukiko.

"Aika," Yosuke added.

"Aika-senpai," Kanji said.

"You all suck," Aika grumbled. "But… why did you wear the bear suit here?"

"I almost got thrown in the trash a couple times…" Teddie admitted. "But I kept hanging onto the promise Chie-chan made to go on a date with me! That's what gave me strength to carry on."

"Uh…" Chie mumbled. "Good job, Teddie… D-Did I promise that…? Oh yeah, I do remember saying that I'd go out with you someday…"

"Yay!" Teddie cheered. "You remembered, Chie-chan! I know Aika-chan can't do it anymore since she's Yosuke's now, but is it okay with Yuki-chan and Rise-chan too?"

"Yosuke's?" Aika repeated, glaring at the bear and putting her hands on her hips. "I'm not his _property_!"

"Let's all go together then," Yukiko suggested. "And since we're all going together, Aika can come too, and Yosuke won't get mad."

"I wasn't gonna get mad in the first place…" Yosuke deadpanned.

"I've been here before, so I'll show you guys around," Rise said. "I guess we can go shopping first. And I know this great place we can hit later on."

"Well, I guess a shopping spree beats a factory tour," Yosuke said. "All right. We're in too. Now, before the fun starts… We gotta deal with this guy."

"Can't you sleep outside for the night?" Kanji asked. "That suit should keep ya nice and cozy."

"Cruelty to animals!" Teddie wailed. "You don't know how much trouble I went through to get here! I took the slow train all this way! Do you hear? The slow train!"

"Now, now, you kids aren't bickering about your room allocations, are you?" Aika jumped as she saw Ms. Kashiwagi standing by the hotel gate.

"Crap!" Chie hissed.

"What's the matter?" Ms. Kashiwagi asked. "Oh, what's this giant teddy bear?"

"I, uh…" Yosuke muttered. "I made it today in class!"

"My, my…" Ms. Kashiwagi drawled. "You must have some _nimble_ fingers…"

Aika bristled as she clenched her fists. "Sorry, but he's kind of already _taken_."

"Now, now," Ms. Kashiwagi said fleetingly, waving her hand dismissively. "I didn't mean anything by it. By the way, these rooms are amazing. Every room has a waterbed! But don't flip the wrong switch when you're turning on the lights, or your bed will start spinning."

As Ms. Kashiwagi left, Kanji snorted. "Wow, Aika-senpai. Possessive much?"

"Oh, be quiet," Aika grumbled.

"A-Anyway," Chie said stiffly. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

"Yeah, but I'm exhausted…" Yosuke sighed. "For so many reasons… Kanji, wanna help me with…?"

"Gotcha," Kanji said bluntly, and both he and Yosuke lifted Teddie together, who tried his best to act like a stuffed animal.

And then, the illusion was shattered. "I gotta pee." Yosuke and Kanji groaned simultaneously.

* * *

The next night, Rise led the group to a club. Chie whooped in excitement. "I'm totally ready for this!"

"There's _nothing_ like this back home…" Yukiko mused.

"Is it permitted for high school students such as yourselves to be here?" Kanji gave a small yelp and jumped, turning away as his face turned red.

Aika simply raised her eyebrows at Naoto, who descended a staircase to the left of the entrance. "You're in high school too, you know."

"And you were here _before_ we were!" Yosuke pointed out.

"The clientele here seems above-board," Naoto said, "so I doubt there'll be any problems."

Aika clapped her hands together excitedly. "Why don't we make this an official club outing?" she suggested. "You should join us, Naoto-kun, since you're officially part of the club now."

Naoto's eyes widened in shock. "Are you… asking me to stay?"

"C'mon, Naoto-kun," Rise said. "There's _no_ way you can be busy _right now_."

"It would—" Aika quipped.

"Don't," Kanji cut her off. "Say. _Anything_."

Aika smiled mischievously and put her hands behind the back. "Right. Because Kanji has something he wants to say to _you_."

Kanji glared at her as he turned around to face Naoto. "I-I'd like to get to know you some more too… wait, that came out wrong."

"No it didn't," Aika whispered to him.

"Shut _up_, Senpai!"

"I…" Naoto said, bowing his head, though Aika didn't miss his slight blush. "I-If you insist."

"I'll go reserve the area upstairs for us," Rise said. "I think I can pull some strings."

"Senpai, you are so dead," Kanji muttered to Aika.

"Not literally, hopefully," Yosuke said. "I'd really hate it if you killed my girlfriend, man. Then I'd have to go on this huge revenge quest and kill _you_. Actually… nah, I'd probably just bottle everything in and act like nothing's wrong."

"Can we _please _not talk about me dying?" Aika half-whined. And, soon enough, Rise came back and led them to the area upstairs, and a man brought a tray of drinks and set it on the table before them.

"Are you sure this is all right?" Chie asked. "Isn't this expensive?"

"No worries," Rise said calmly. "Two years ago, when I had a secret show here, the power went out in the middle of it, and the gig was cancelled. They still owe me from then, so they're willing to put this one on the house."

"Well in that case, I'm gonna order some more," Chie said cheerfully.

"I'm not gonna hold back either!" Teddie proclaimed.

"Dude, you sound even weirder today," Kanji deadpanned.

"You're sho cold, Kanji," Teddie said. "Hm… Kanji, Kanji, Kanji… I Kanj-ecture that shomething's up!"

Yosuke groaned as Teddie started laughing at his own joke. "Man, you're already in high gear…"

Yukiko started laughing uncontrollably, and Aika couldn't help but notice how red her face was. "She's looser'n usual too…" Kanji muttered.

"Wait, hold on a sec!" Yosuke said, staring at his glass. "Are these liquor?"

"I told them to give us soft drinks!" Rise slurred. "They're non-alcoholic!" She groaned loudly. "I told them! Really, I did! Really!"

Chie fanned herself with one hand. "Sheesh, I was wondering why it's so hot…"

Aika yawned and set her glass down on the table. "I'm getting sleepy…"

"Is this seriously booze?" Kanji asked.

"Maybe they wanted to prank Risette?" Chie suggested.

"Or maybe this is their way of charging us…" Yosuke muttered. Aika yawned again and rested her head on his arm, and he jumped. "Wha—hey, don't fall asleep _now_!"

Rise jumped up. "King's Game!" she screeched. "Times like this, adults play the King's Game. It's the law…" She hiccupped, then giggled. "What's their problem? They make me act like a ditz, call me Risette and stuff, and then say I'm a kid… It's _so_ obvious! Those wrap parties get a lot funner after I go home!" She picked up her glass and downed it in one go. "Morons! I'm gonna play the King's Game now and ain't no one gonna stop me! So what if I told them not to give us non-alcoholic beverages?" She hiccupped again, and Aika promptly stopped sipping from her glass.

"Yet another side of Rise exposed…" Yosuke said. "I wonder if she knows what she's saying…"

"Kanji!" Rise shouted. "Get the chopsticks ready!"

"Wh-Why me?" Kanji shot back.

"The King's word is law!" Rise slurred. "Chop-chop!"

And, as soon as eight sticks were prepared, Chie stared at them uncertainly. "Um… What's this King's Game again?"

"Okay," Yukiko slurred, waving her arms in the air. "One chopstick makes you the King if you draw it, and the others have numbers on 'em… The King picks a number and says what that person has to do." Aika _really_ didn't like the smile on Yukiko's face. "But who has which number is a secret until the King gives the orders!"

"Senpai, you're such an adult!" Rise cheered, pumping her fist in the air. "You tell 'em!"

"Y-Yukiko?" Chie gasped. "Where'd you learn this stuff?"

Rise snatched the chopsticks from Chie and held them in the middle. "C'mon, everyone draw!" Aika yawned as she drew the first chopstick she touched, barely registering the number six written on one end. "Okay, so… Who's the King?"

Teddie shot straight up. "Teddie's is red! Red! Is Teddie the King?"

Yosuke groaned. "We're already doomed from the get go…" Somewhere along the way, Aika was back to leaning against him and dozing off. "Oh no you don't!" He poked her harshly in the arm, and Aika glared at him.

"I, the King…" Teddie said dramatically. "… command me to smooch the King without delay!" He clasped his hands together. "Please, God, grant me a girl! Number three!" Kanji yelped as he stood up. "I mean… number two!"

"No take-backs!" Yosuke snapped.

"Smooch!" Yukiko cheered. "Smooch!"

"K-Kanji…" Teddie said dramatically. "So you _were_ after my fuzzy fur!" He smiled mischievously. "Okay, but it's my first time! Be gentle!" The last thing Aika saw before looking away was Teddie tackling Kanji to the floor, and the two of them… almost wrestling?

As Kanji's screams of anguish died down, Rise giggled and rubbed her hands together. "Only the first round, and two contestants have dropped out already! On to round two!"

And, thankfully, Aika's stick had a red mark on it. She sighed in relief as she held her chopstick in the air. "I guess I'm the King."

Chie sighed in relief. "Someone decent… No crazy orders this time…"

"That's not how it goes!" Yukiko slurred. "If the last King ordered a smooch, then the next order's gotta be more extreme. Chie, don't be such a party pooper!" Yukiko started laughing at her own joke, and Chie groaned.

"Um…" Aika mumbled. "The King's orders are absolute, right? So if I order something _less_ extreme, then…"

"C'mon, Senpai!" Rise shouted. "Show Yosuke-senpai some sugar!"

Aika blushed. "Wh-What? Um… Number four… has to give me a piggy-back ride? That's not too embarrassing, right?"

"Thank god!" Yosuke sighed in relief, standing up.

"Wha—" Chie gasped. "No way! You totally cheated! Three other girls here, and you got _his_ number?"

"The King's order is…" Rise said.

"… Absolute!" Yukiko finished.

As Aika stood up and Yosuke walked up to her, she stared downward. "Um… please don't drop me… You're kind of tall, so it's a long way to the ground."

Yosuke chuckled as he lifted her and placed her on his shoulders. "Don't worry," he said. "I won't let you fall."

"God, quit being so lovey-dovey all the time," Yukiko slurred. "Me next! Me! I'm the King! Actually, the Queen!"

As Kanji and Teddie rejoined the group, Yosuke helped Aika down. "Lovey… dovey?" he echoed. "Hey, we aren't like that at all!"

"All right," Yukiko said as if Yosuke hadn't said a word. "Let's have someone talk about something really embarrassing that they'd never wanna tell anyone! Hmm, let's se… Ah! Naoto-kun! I choose you!"

Aika took yet another sip from her drink and yawned. "Actually, can we go home? I'm tired."

"Don't listen to her, Naoto-kun," Yosuke said. "She's breaking all the rules, anyway."

"No, that won't be necessary," Naoto said calmly. "One stipulation, though: if I do this, the rest of you must reveal something as well."

"Okay!" Rise said cheerfully.

"No particularly embarrassing experiences come to mind," Naoto said before anyone else could get a word in. "Would discussing my life be fair game? It's the rare situation like this that gives me call to speak of such things."

"Damn…" Yosuke muttered as he put his arm around Aika so that she could lean more comfortably against him. "Way to kill the mood…"

"The Shirogane family has been detectives for generations now," Naoto explained. "We lend our powers to the police from time to time."

"For generations?" Chie asked. "Wow, it's like that guy from a movie I watched before. What was his name… Kuzu… noha?"

"In days gone by, when there were no crime scene investigators," Naoto continued, "consulting detectives were considered far more valuable. Thus, my grandfather still has a strong connection with the police and looks after me, despite my youth and inexperience. But investigators nowadays are well-versed in science and medicine, so I must further my studies."

"Or you could just become a police officer and get promoted," Aika suggested. "That's what my uncle did."

"So…" Yosuke drawled. "That's it? No punch line?"

"I fear you may be looking to the wrong person for that," Naoto said simply.

"That's _so_ embarrassing," Yukiko slurred. "Isn't Naoto-kun embarrassing?"

Aika yawned, wondering if it was the alcohol that sharply diminished her patience. "So ask us already. What's your big question? I'm falling asleep here."

Naoto cleared his throat. "A straight answer, please. What is your true involvement with the murder case?"

Yosuke laughed nervously and hugged Aika closer to him. "You know, you're so good at killing the mood that it's almost funny."

"Well," Yukiko drawled. "We go rescuing people who've been kidnapped by jumping into the TV! And _then_, we do stuff like, 'Persona!' with our Personas and beat the crap outta Shadows…" Aika briefly wondered why she couldn't have fallen asleep just a few minutes before.

Naoto sighed exasperatedly. "Are you making fun of me?"

Rise stood up. "Ish true! Persona!" She flopped back onto the couch and began snoring.

Chie groaned. "Sheesh! Somebody put these two drunks to bed already!"

"I see that you have no intention of telling me the truth," Naoto said. "I should have expected as much, especially since Aika… senpai has so carefully avoided the subject for so long now."

"Wait, don't tell me you keep coming over just to get _information_ out of me," Aika said, suddenly feeling wide awake.

"It should have been fairly obvious," Naoto retorted.

"I-I know, but… I just… I just hoped that it wasn't like that…"

Naoto grunted. "That's disappointing, Senpai. I never expected you to be so naïve."

It might have been the alcohol that was making her emotions so much harder to control, but Aika could feel tears stinging her eyes. "I… I don't believe this… I hate you, Naoto!"

As Aika stormed away, Yosuke sighed exasperatedly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Man, you just keep digging yourself in deeper and deeper…"

* * *

Aika picked at her ramen the next morning, trying to tune out Chie's happy slurping and Rise's comments on the restaurant. "Hey…" Yosuke said uncertainly from next to her. "Still bummed about the whole Naoto thing?"

"I know," Aika said, stirring her ramen with her chopsticks. "I shouldn't let it get to me, and I shouldn't have expected anything different."

"No," Yosuke said flatly. "He might've been trying to get information out of you, but I think he was just trying to rile you up yesterday."

Aika sighed. "Maybe…"

Sure enough, the detective walked over to them both, clearing his throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's close to the meeting time."

"Aw, already?" Chie whined. "I thought the trip was gonna be a bore, but now that it's over, I actually had a good time."

"I should buy something for Nanako down at the station…" Aika mused as she laid her still half-full bowl of ramen in front of Teddie.

"C'mon, Teddie," Yosuke said. "We're leaving." But the bear didn't move. "Yo… Hey, Ted!"

Kanji stood up and glared at Teddie. "Don't make me rub your fur the wrong way, you little—" He cut off after running his hand once over Teddie's head. "D-Dude… he ain't moving! Wh-Wha… is he hibernating?"

"T-Teddie?" Aika stammered running over and nudging him. "A-Are you okay?"

"D-Don't tell me…" Chie mumbled. "I-It's not because he's been in our world too long, is it?"

"Are you serious?" Rise asked. "Teddie!"

And, finally, Teddie let out a burp. "My tummy's heavy…" he moaned. "I ate too much… Can't move… Someone carry me…"

"Sorry to interrupt," Naoto said again, "but if you would please accompany me to the rendezvous site, Aika-senpai." Aika looked to Yosuke, who simply nodded at her, before she decided to follow Naoto. "I owe you an apology yet again," the detective said as soon as everyone else was out of earshot. "What I said to you yesterday… I didn't mean it. Not fully, at least. I was irritated, and I forced you to bear the brunt of my frustrations. Please forgive me."

"U-Um…" And that was _not_ the first statement that Aika expected from him… and she _really_ wasn't getting used to this, either. "That's… um… I-It's okay. I kind of overreacted too. I don't _really_ hate you, Naoto-kun."

"Though I must ask—"

"Here we go."

Naoto sighed. "I apologize, but I really am curious. Amagi-senpai was fully inebriated, so there is a part of me that wants to believe that what she said yesterday was the truth… but it's so outrageous that it's hard to believe."

Aika sighed. "I don't know what to say to you, Naoto-kun. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you what you want to hear."

"I see…" Naoto exhaled sharply. "I apologize for… prying."

Aika shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

A couple nights later, Naoto came over for dinner yet again. "Dad?" Nanako quipped. "Is Naoto-kun my new big bro now?" Naoto choked on the carrot he was eating and Aika snorted in laughter. "Well he comes over for dinner all the time, and you keep telling us to be nice to him…"

Naoto gasped and jumped as Kaede sniffed him suspiciously. "Kaede, back," Uncle said automatically. "Leave him alone." He sighed. "Sorry about that, Shirogane. That fox used to live at the Tatsuhime Shrine, but it followed Aika home one day, and, as you can see, it never left."

"Uncle has a special bond with Kaede-chan," Aika said, smiling mischievously. "They actually get along quite famously."

"Ooh, remember that time he kept trying to sneak her food under the table?" Nanako asked, giggling.

Suddenly, a jingle played loudly on TV, and everyone fell silent. "Good evening," said the announcer. "Welcome to Niteline's special Nitewatch Report." But the boy on the screen was…

"Huh?" Nanako asked. "That's you, Naoto-kun!"

Aika waved her hand hurriedly at Nanako. "Shush!"

"A suspect in the murders in Inaba was safely arrested recently," the announcer said. "But what few people know is that the mastermind who brought him to justice was a high school student. Tonight's report will focus on this detective prince, Naoto Shirogane, whose handsome looks are sweeping the nation. Thanks for being on the show."

"No, the pleasure is all mine," said the Naoto on TV.

Aika's heart was hammering in her chest. Naoto said before that he wasn't satisfied with the outcome of the case, and people who showed up on TV were later targeted, so… "Oh my god…" she whispered, her whole body trembling.

"First, congratulations to you and the police for your recent arrest of the culprit," the announcer continued. "It was well-known that there were a lot of mysteries surrounding this case, and you did a great job clearing them up."

"I'd hesitate to say that the matter is 'cleared up,' as such," the Naoto on TV said. "It's true that our suspect was behind Mr. Morooka's unfortunate death. But when I cast my eye over the case as a whole, I detect a few things that seem out of place."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot divulge details at this time. But this matter claimed the lives of three people. Hence I believe even the smallest inconsistency must be investigated."

"Sheesh," Uncle grumbled. "Did you have to be so _open_ about that?"

"I still did not divulge any classified information, Dojima-san," Naoto said simply.

"U-Um…" Aika said slowly, but her voice was shaking so much that she hoped it wasn't _too_ obvious how anxious she was. "C-Can we look at the weather forecast for a minute, please?"

"Senpai…" Naoto whispered to Aika. "We'll discuss this in further detail tomorrow – at the club meeting."

Somehow, Aika managed to nod. "O-Okay…"

And, really, the club meeting couldn't come quickly enough. "Hey, Naoto-kun!" Chie said cheerfully. "I really liked your special on TV last night."

"But c'mon," Yosuke said teasingly. "You could've given us a _little_ more credit."

"Yeah, but he's the one that told us about him in the first place," Aika pointed out. "Sure, we found him, but the police were the ones who identified him in the first place."

"And Naoto-kun was cooperating with them on the case, right?" Yukiko asked. "So it's true that he helped solve the case."

"I'm kinda surprised, though," Chie said. "I didn't think you were one to go after the spotlight like that, Naoto-kun."

Aika stiffened. "Yeah… me neither…"

"Well then, if you would please indulge my current theory on the matter," Naoto said. "First, as regards commonalities between the victims, all of them were kidnapped before they were murdered. The victims were all locals who had been the focus of recent media attention, becoming suddenly well-known… though I don't believe there is anything intrinsically unique about the victims themselves."

"Then why the _hell_ would you put yourself through that?" Aika suddenly exploded.

"I wish to see this case come to an end, Senpai," Naoto said simply. "You of all people should understand."

"That doesn't mean you have to try and make yourself into one of the victims!" Aika yelled.

Naoto smiled faintly. "Ah. _One of_ the victims. The way you speak of the case, Senpai, I would think that there was more than three who were targeted…" His eyes drifted over to everyone else in the room. "And a number of you fit these identical circumstances as well. Not to mention, there was a long interval between the second and third deaths in this case. But after I applied the aforementioned criteria, I discovered several similar disappearances had taken place."

"Naoto-kun—"

"Yukiko Amagi," Naoto cut her off, "Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa. All of you disappeared shortly after being shown on TV. Either you escaped death somehow, or you faked your own disappearances in order to divert attention from yourselves. Since some of you had ties to the victims, there came a point where I suspected that one of you must be the culprit."

"You thought one of us was the killer?" Chie cried indignantly. "You can't be serious!"

"I believe you've misunderstood," Naoto said calmly. "This was merely a prior theory, since discarded. Putting together everything I've learned until this moment, I believe exactly the opposite. You aren't the culprits. You may, in fact, be the only ones with the means to pursue the true perpetrator. Seen as a joining of forces between the rescued, everything falls into place."

"What about Mr. Morooka, then?" Aika interjected. "What about _him_? He doesn't fit into any of this."

"And that is the flaw in this theory," Naoto replied. "It doesn't account for the third incident at all. He has never been broadcast on television, and neither did he ever disappear. We must also consider the condition of his corpse. The first two victims are still listed with an unknown cause of death, but Mr. Morooka died of an easily identifiable blunt force trauma to the occipital cranium. The police have not satisfactorily resolved this discrepancy, yet they are desperate to close the case. Further action will be taken to obtain some sort of decisive evidence."

"Naoto-kun, stop it!" Aika yelled. "Are you crazy? Are you _trying_ to get kidnapped? You've turned suicidal because this case hasn't been solved yet?"

"Senpai…" Naoto said quietly. "I've said this before, and I will say it again: this is not a game for me, either. Though I may not bear any personal connection to this case as you do, I will still do everything in my power to solve it… even if it means putting my own life in danger. And if my theory is correct, then I have nothing to worry about. You all will save me if anything happens to me, correct?"

"Y-You moron…" Kanji spluttered. "You could die, y'know that?"

"I'd best be going," Naoto said, tipping his hat to the group. "Best of luck with the investigation." And as he left and Kanji ranted on and on about how _stupid_ Naoto was being, all Aika could do was shake in worry and rage.

* * *

"About the Midnight Channel…" Chie said a couple days later. "That was Naoto-kun for sure, right?"

Aika clenched her fists in frustration. "Right…"

"I talked to Teddie, and he said no one's entered the other side," Yosuke said helpfully, "so I think the little guy's safe for now."

"The killer's behind bars, man," Kanji said. "You guys are overreacting. That shit Naoto said didn't make any sense either, so don't worry about it."

"Aren't you worried about him?" Aika asked. "He could be in danger!"

"We should probably prepare, just in case," Rise said. "So how about we go inside the TV today?"

"Sounds good," Yosuke said. "Nothing too fancy – just a little light training to get back into shape."

"Ooh, I have an idea," Yukiko quipped. "Why don't we all go to different areas? Since it's a lot more informal, and there's weaker Shadows in the places we've been before…"

"Oh, gotcha," Kanji said. "So who's going where?"

Aika raised her hand in the air. "Can I go alone? I want to see how well I can do without all of you guys there to back me up."

"Then you're _definitely_ going to the shopping district," Yosuke said.

"But the weakest Shadows are over there!" Aika protested.

"Sorry, I'm not taking any chances," Yosuke replied. "Unless you want to go with someone else."

Aika huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms. "It's fine. I'll go there."

"What was Yukiko-senpai's place like?" Kanji asked. "Can I go there?"

"Sure," Yosuke replied. "You'll probably be fine on your own."

"I think we should stay clear of Rise's place," Yukiko suggested, "so I'll go to Kanji-kun's."

"I'll come too!" Rise volunteered. "I've always wanted to see your _special places_."

"Trust me, Kanji's is in a league of its own," Yosuke said.

"Shut it, Senpai," Kanji muttered.

"So that leaves me with that guy Mitsuo's," Chie said. "Where's Teddie going?"

"Probably with you or Kanji," Yosuke replied. "So, are you guys ready?"

And that was how Aika ended up in the area where she first fought Yosuke's Shadow, where she first awakened her Persona. It was all very nostalgic as she simply dawdled at the Konishis' liquor store, waiting for Shadows to come to her. This was where everything began – she was so different back then, she wondered if she'd be able to recognize the person she was now if all the kidnappings and Persona shenanigans hadn't happened.

"About time someone came around here. I was getting bored."

Aika jumped at the familiar, yet distorted voice that materialized behind her. Sure enough, a girl in her high school's uniform was standing there – a girl with wavy brown hair and glowing yellow eyes. Aika gasped as she clapped a hand over her mouth, and she was suddenly filled with a horrible feeling of anxiety and dread. "K-Konishi-san…"

Saki Konishi flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Oh, it's only the transfer student," she said dismissively. The glowing yellow eyes and the distorted voice… was she a Shadow? "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Y-You…" Aika spluttered, clutching her rod tightly, ready to summon Aoandon at a moment's notice.

Saki held one hand up. "Relax," she said. "I don't want to fight. Not yet, anyway."

Yes, it was definitely a Shadow. "How are you still here?" Aika asked. "Where's…"

"Oh, you mean the _other_ me," the Shadow sneered. "That weak little bitch got what's coming to her, that's all."

Aika glowered at the Shadow. "H-How could you say that? She was… you! You're a part of her!"

"Yeah, a part of her she never acknowledged." The Shadow hopped onto the countertop and swung its legs lazily. "But I'm sure you know all about that, right? Since you helped Hana-chan face his. How is the annoying little ass anyway?"

Aika clenched her fists. "Annoying… little ass? H-How _dare_ you? He _loved_ you!"

Saki laughed. "_Loved _me? Dear god, you're delusional. So I was a little nice to him when he first got here. That didn't mean I liked him or anything. If he had _feelings_ for me or whatever, that's _his _problem. Why do you care so much anyway?"

"Because he's my…"

Saki laughed again, only louder. "Your _boyfriend_? Are you _serious_? You and _Hana-chan_?" She stopped laughing suddenly as her eyebrows furrowed. "Wait a minute… he didn't pressure you into it or anything, did he? I'm going to _kill_ him!"

"N-No, he didn't!" Aika said shakily. "Don't… Why do you care so much about _me_ anyway? We barely even knew each other!"

"Because I actually _liked_ you," Saki replied evenly. "Or… what I _saw_ of you, anyway. You seem like a really sweet girl, and hey, you finally grew a spine after… how long has the other me been dead?"

Aika sighed. "Five months."

"Wow. That went by fast."

Aika sighed. "You said it." And, for reasons she didn't think she'd ever be able to understand, a Social Link formed.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Devil Arcanum…_

_What…? Seriously?_

"You space out a lot, you know that?" Saki's Shadow asked. She flicked Aika on the forehead and smirked. "Do me a favor and don't tell _anyone_ about this. _Especially_ not Hana-chan."

Aika rubbed her forehead. "O-Okay… U-Um… I-I should get going…"

"Come back later sometime, okay? It's nice having company… besides, it gets so _boring_ around here."

"U-Um… I'll… try?"

Saki pat Aika's head in a patronizing, yet somehow sweet way. "Good girl."

* * *

That night, on the Midnight Channel, an extremely clear image appeared, and Aika groaned, slapping her forehead. "Good evening, everyone. I am the Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane."

"I _told_ him…" Aika mumbled. "I _told_ him this was a bad idea!"

"Welcome to 'Experiment of the Century: The Genome Project,'" Naoto said. "I will be experimentor and experimentee both, in a forbidden yet wonderful body alteration process!" He bowed dramatically. "You shall witness my departer into a new realm… The moment of a new birth! From this chosen day forth, I shall walk a completely different path in life!" He turned his back to the camera. "And I shall share this glorious occasion, this memorable day, with all of you! Do stay tuned!"

And with that, the image disappeared, and Aika's cell phone rang. "I _told_ you!" she yelled as soon as she answered the phone, not caring that Nanako could probably hear her.

"I know," Yosuke said on the other line. "I know, you said that—"

"Wh-What are we going to do?"

"We go in and rescue him like always," Yosuke said calmly. "Just… relax, okay? It's going to be okay."

"Y-Yeah…" She went to bed not long afterward and somehow managed to fall asleep almost immediately.

The next day, as she was walking to school, she ran into Namatame by the flood plain. "Ah, Aika-san," he said. There was something… lighter about him, somehow. Like a huge weight was just lifted off his chest. "Today is a glorious day."

Aika forced a smile. "Oh… did something good happen?"

"I recently gave someone the help they needed," Namatame said simply. "It just… feels nice, helping other people like this."

Aika smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, it does…" _At least _someone's _happy today…_ "L-Listen, I kind of need to get to school…"

"Yes, of course," Namatame said quickly. "I hope _you_ have just as nice a day today as well, Aika-san."

"Thank you, Namatame-san." And, after that, nothing of note happened until Aika and the investigation team finally headed over to Junes.

"You were right, Aika," Yukiko said. "Naoto-kun _did_ purposely put himself in danger."

"So he seriously used himself as bait…" Yosuke said. "That's crazy."

"Wh-What the hell?" Kanji muttered, and he was actually shaking in rage. "That… That idiot! What the hell was he thinking? Being this fancy detective doesn't mean shit if he's gonna die!"

"He said 'this is not a game to me, either'…" Rise said. "This is all my fault. I'm the one that said that to him."

"No, it's mine…" Aika mumbled. "I'm the one that…"

Kanji slammed both his hands down on the table. "That idiot! Why the hell didn't he just tell us?"

"He almost did, didn't he?" Yosuke asked shakily. "He must've known that we'd stop him if he did, so he left us clues so that we could figure it out and—"

Kanji hit the table again. "I know that, dammit! That son of a…"

"But what about the killer the police are holding now?" Chie asked. "Mitsuo _did_ kill King Moron, right?"

"He…" Aika said quietly. "… killed Mr. Morooka. That's it! Mr. Morooka was the only person Mitsuo killed!"

"That's right!" Yukiko gasped. "Naoto-kun said that it was strange that the police were able to identify the cause of Mr. Morooka's death!"

"That'd explain why there were no signs of King Moron being thrown in the TV…" Yosuke mused. "The killer didn't change his methods for King Moron… It just seemed that way because it was done by someone else!"

"Then whoever kidnapped Naoto-kun…" Rise said. "That's the real killer?"

"Wait a sec!" Chie interjected. "Didn't Mitsuo say he was the one behind it all? Why would he take the blame for someone else's crime? Isn't that weird?"

Kanji stood up. "To hell with someone who's behind bars! If we don't get off our asses, that stupid Naoto's gonna die in there! We gotta go find him!"

And at that, they entered the TV, and Rise summoned Himiko immediately. "Wow," she said after a few seconds. "Naoto-kun's _really_ loud… and the world seems to have grown larger too…"

"That's amazing, Rise-chan!" Teddie gushed. "My nose could _never_ pick that up!"

"So do you know where he is?" Aika asked.

"Oh yeah," Rise replied. "It's like he _wants_ to be found, so he's being as loud as he possibly can so that we'll find him… or maybe his Shadow's just that obnoxious."

"Maybe both," Yukiko said. "I remember that your Shadow was pretty much the same way… no offense."

"What the hell are we doing, just standing here?" Kanji roared. "Let's _go_, already!"

* * *

"I swear, this place is right out of Featherman," Aika said bluntly as they approached a large door.

"Tell me about it," Kanji said. "Remember that episode with the mad scientist?"

"Oh yeah, this is the mad scientist's lair for sure," Yosuke said. "Huh… Naoto didn't really strike me as someone who's into that kind of stuff."

"The Blue Swan was the one who defeated the mad scientist in the end, right?" Aika asked.

"Come on, guys!" Chie said. "Kanji, where's all that fighting spirit you had before? Let's go!"

"What the hell am I doing?" Kanji muttered to himself as he slammed his hand against a button on the wall, opening the door. He sprinted inside. "Naoto!"

The room was filled with strange contraptions – some sort of ray gun, a saw… and Naoto stood in the middle of it all with his lab coat-wearing Shadow. "Ah," the real Naoto said calmly. "It's about time you arrived. Dealing with this child has been quite a pain…"

"N-Naoto-kun, that's…" Aika said quietly.

But Naoto was already walking toward them. "No!" the Shadow wailed in a shrill, high-pitched voice. "No, no, don't go!"

"It's useless speaking with you," Naoto snapped. "I need to go back now."

"Why…?" the Shadow whimpered. "Why are you leaving me here? Why am I always left alone? It's so lonely… I don't wanna be alone!"

"Naoto-kun…" Yukiko said quietly.

"You wear the same face as me…" Naoto mused. "It's as if you're implying that we're one and the same. But the difference between me and you is…"

The Shadow straightened up, its golden eyes widening. "Why delude yourself? I _am_ you."

"Yes," Aika said quickly. "You are. So _please_ accept it, Naoto-kun, so we can _leave_."

"With all due respect, Senpai, this is between me and my imposter," Naoto said in a much too calm voice.

"The fools all say it, don't they?" the Shadow said, its voice rising in hysteria. "'You're only a child,' 'Keep out of our business, kid,' and so forth. No matter how many cases you spend hours cogitating over, no matter how many crimes you solve, you're still a child in their eyes. It's your _brain_ they're interested in… the grey matter locked up in that skull. As long as they need it, you're an ace detective! But once you're done, it's back to the playpen with you. You haven't the means to deal with society's two-faced nature… You're just a lonely child."

"Be quiet," Naoto hissed.

But then the Shadow was back to cowering. "I wanna be a grown-up… I wanna be a big boy right now… Then they'll see who I am… I… I want a reason for me to stay…"

"That's enough," Naoto said sharply. "I can find my own reason for living."

The Shadow laughed bitterly. "I'm telling you that's impossible. You are but a child. How can you change that essential truth?"

"S-Stop it!"

"At your core, you admire the sort of 'strong' and 'cool' men who populate detective fiction… but in trying to emulate them, you must know that in truth, you're nothing of the sort – you're a child. There's no avoiding first principles. Admit that you're a child, and admit that there's nothing you can do about it. But the other part… we can _definitely_ do something about that. Let us begin the body alteration procedure. You have no objections, do you… 'Naoto' Shirogane?"

"Stop it!" Naoto cried, and his voice suddenly seemed so much more higher-pitched.

"Naoto…" the Shadow continued. "Such a cool, manly name! But a name doesn't change the truth. It doesn't let you cross the barrier between the sexes. How could you become an ideal man when you were never male to begin with?"

"Wait, what?" Yosuke spluttered. "D-Did I hear that right?"

"H-He's not a guy?" Kanji stammered.

Naoto exhaled sharply. "I won't throw a tantrum," he (she?) said purposefully. "That accomplishes nothing…!"

The Shadow laughed hysterically. "How often I've heard those words from adults… 'Throwing a tantrum won't solve anything, Naoto-kun,' and other such bilge! They made you cry, didn't they? Yet here you are, mimicking those same men. What exactly are you trying to justify?" The Shadow chuckled. "It's all right. You needn't suffer anymore… That's why you're undergoing this body alteration procedure to begin with! You throw a tantrum, but it fails to change the situation a single bit… I can understand the feeling. After all… I am you."

"That's not true!" Naoto shrieked.

"Yes it is!" Aika yelled back.

"Don't say it!" Chie added.

"It's okay…" Kanji said, surprisingly calm. "Let the kid spill the whole thing. If not, Naoto's just gonna keep hurting… We'll just do our job and kick the Shadow's ass, yeah?"

The Shadow laughed. "As if you know anything about me! You'll kick my ass, huh? Fine… Go ahead and try, you lizard-brained imbecile!"

"Here it comes!" Rise said urgently.

And, soon enough, the Shadow transformed into a black and white robot-like figure that looked very much like Naoto. "I am a Shadow… the true self! What, are you sick of yourselves, too? Very well… Let's begin the special operation!"

"Bring it on, man!" Kanji yelled. "I'll pull you through this!"

"O-Operation?" Teddie whimpered. "I hate ouchies!"

"Persona!" Aika cried as she smashed her card, calling on Aoandon to cast Debilitate and Element Zero. "Naoto-kun… Why didn't you say anything?"

Kanji and Chie's Personae pummeled the Shadow with everything they had, while Teddie, Yukiko, and Yosuke's just spammed elemental attacks. Occasionally, Aika threw a Black Viper in for good measure, when she could muster the strength to do so. "It can use Fire, Ice, and Lightning!" Rise said. "And it's good with physical attacks, too. Be careful, you guys!"

"I see…" the Shadow said. "In that case, I must eliminate you all!" A shrill beeping noise filled the air.

"Oh no…" Yosuke whimpered. "I remember this part of the episode…"

"We need to leave, now!" Aika yelled. Kanji picked up Naoto's limp form and slung her over his shoulder, and the group ran out of the room. Teddie pressed a button the wall by the door several times, and the door finally closed. There was a huge explosion that made the ground shudder violently, and the door opened yet again, leaving the entire lab in ruins.

Naoto groaned, and Kanji gently placed her on the floor. Aika was at her side immediately. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Naoto pressed a hand to her forehead. "Where… am I? I remember you all arriving, and…" She gasped, and Aika hung her head. "That's right… You saw everything…" With Aika's help, Naoto stood up and walked over to her Shadow. "I lost both my parents in an accident. I was still young, so my grandfather took me in. I was inept at making friends, so I spent my time reading detective novels in my grandfather's study."

"When I grow up, I'm gonna be an awesome, hard-boiled detective!" the Shadow proclaimed.

"My parents were proud of their job," Naoto continued. "I had no qualms about following in their footsteps. An inherited occupation can feel stifling to many, but I welcomed it. I yearned for the day I could become a detective myself… Perhaps I inherited that desire from them as well. I was always alone… Seeing that, my grandfather must have believed it was his duty to help me realize my dream. I secretly aided my grandfather with his clients… and before I knew it, people started calling me Junior Detective. At first, I was delighted… but not everything went so smoothly."

"Not everyone takes you seriously…" Yukiko said sadly. "Right?"

Naoto smiled bitterly. "My status as a 'child' was sufficient enough to offend many of those whom I worked with. Were that the only issue, then it would have resolved itself with time. But though I will one day change from a child to an adult, I will never change from a woman to a man."

"Do you not like being a girl?" Yukiko asked. "Is that why you always dress like a boy?"

"My sex doesn't fit my ideal image of a detective…" Naoto explained. "The police department is a male-oriented society, after all. If they had the slightest 'concrete' reason to look down on me, no one would need me anymore…"

Aika smiled and nodded. "I understand," she said. "What you want isn't to become an adult or to become a boy…"

"You're absolutely right," Naoto said before turning to her Shadow. "I'm sorry… I kept ignoring you, pretending you didn't exist… but you are me, and I am you. You've always been inside me. What I should yearn for… no, what I must strive for isn't to become a man – it's to accept myself for who I really am, and to transcend these so-called 'barriers'…" The Shadow nodded once, and a small Persona carrying a long sword appeared in the air. Naoto's body glowed blue for an instant, and then she collapsed. "In any event, you're a devious bunch… I can't believe you kept something like this hidden for so long."

"Well, we _did_ have a few slip-ups," Chie pointed out, glaring at Yukiko and Rise.

Rise laughed nervously. "Oops?"

"But it's apparent now," Naoto said breathlessly. "This case is far from over."

"That's right," Yosuke said. "And you proved it, Naoto. But we can talk later – we need to get you out of here.

* * *

Naoto had completely collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily. "Hey…" Kanji said urgently. "Hey!"

"Sheesh, she really put her life on the line for this…" Chie mumbled.

"But without her efforts, we never would've realized that the culprit is still at large," Yukiko pointed out.

Kanji made his way over to Naoto. "You're too frickin' reckless, dammit…"

Naoto looked up at them all. "I never once doubted that you'd all come for me… Although the reality turned out to be far beyond what I'd imagined."

"What a dumbass…" Kanji muttered. "You're no genius at all! We were tearing our hair out over you!" He pointed an accusing finger at Aika. "And don't say anything, Senpai!"

"You live by yourself, right?" Aika asked her. "Maybe you should stay over at my place until you feel better."

"Oh no, I couldn't—"

"No way, missy!" Rise said automatically. "Don't think that doing everything on your own is the 'adult' thing to do!"

"You live by the shopping district, right Senpai?" Kanji asked. "C'mon, I'll walk you guys there." He lifted Naoto onto his back, ignoring her protests. "See ya!" He gave one last wave at Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and Rise as he and Aika walked out of Junes.

"Don't worry, Naoto-kun," Aika said. "My uncle won't mind."

"Perhaps I should tell Dojima-san, at the very least…" Naoto mused, resting her head on Kanji's shoulder. "What you all unearthed today, that is."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Aika said. "If you want me to keep it a secret, I will."

"No, I need to start being honest about this," Naoto said. "If I'm going to break down these so-called gender binaries, then I need to come clean about my own identity."

"Gender… binaries?" Kanji echoed, though Aika didn't say anything.

"Though perhaps Dojima-san will…"

"He'll be totally fine with it," Aika assured Naoto. "Actually, he might even respect you a little more."

"You really think so?"

"My mom's kind of a crazy bitch warrior," Aika explained. "And she's his sister, so…"

"Yeah, her uncle's a surprisingly understanding guy," Kanji added. "I mean, he gave someone like _me_ a second chance."

By now, they had reached the Dojima household. "My things…" Naoto said weakly.

"Don't worry," Aika said. "If it's clothes you're worried about, I'm sure you'll be able to fit into mine, no problem. They're kind of girly, though…"

"Well, beggars can't be choosers," Naoto said with a faint smile. "Is that really okay?"

"Of course!" Aika replied. She opened the front door and took off her shoes. "I'm home!"

"Welcome home, Big Sis!" Nanako greeted, running up to her. "Oh, Kanji-kun and Naoto-kun!"

"Hey, Naoto-chan's going to stay here for a few days, okay?" Aika said, crouching down so that she was eye-level with Nanako.

"N-Naoto-_chan_?" Kanji echoed.

"Yes," Naoto said bluntly. "Because, contrary to popular belief, I am, in fact, female."

"Wow, that was fast," Aika deadpanned.

"You're the one who called her 'Naoto-chan'…" Kanji retorted.

Nanako gasped. "Really?"

Naoto smiled and nodded. "Really."

Nanako smiled brightly "Okay!"

"Hey, Nanako," Aika said quickly. "Do you think you could get the bath ready?"

"Sure!" Nanako replied as she ran upstairs.

"She accepted that surprisingly quickly," Naoto said, chuckling. "I'm starting to think that being accepted as a female is really possible."

"Uh…" Kanji said slowly. "I kinda have to go." He put Naoto down on the couch. "See you guys around."

Aika put her hands on her hips as she turned to face Naoto. "So, what do you want to eat?"

"Aren't you tired as well, Senpai?" Naoto asked. "You _did_ have to face my… Shadow, was it?"

Aika shrugged. "I'm used to it. I think fighting two of them in a row did the trick."

Naoto raised one eyebrow. "When was this?"

"Before summer break," Aika replied. "It was when Rise was kidnapped. We fought her Shadow, and we lost miserably because… you know how her Persona can scan things? Her Shadow scanned all of us and we couldn't land a single hit on it. Then Rise accepted her Shadow, but Teddie got one right after that, and Teddie's was this _huge_ thing that pummeled _all_ of us—"

"Thank you, Senpai," Naoto said, cutting Aika off.

Aika just smiled back. "You're welcome." And at that, her Social Link with Naoto developed even further.

* * *

**Social Links:**

The Fool: The Investigation Team  
The Magician: Yosuke Hanamura  
The High Priestess: Yukiko Amagi  
The Empress: Margaret  
The Emperor: Kanji Tatsumi  
The Hierophant: Ryotaro Dojima  
The Lovers: Rise Kujikawa  
The Chariot: Chie Satonaka  
The Justice: Nanako Dojima  
The Hermit: Kaede the Fox  
The Wheel of Fortune: Naoto Shirogane  
The Hanged Man: Naoki Konishi  
The Death: Taro Namatame  
The Temperance: Tamaki Uchida  
The Devil: Saki Konishi's Shadow  
The Star: Teddie  
The Moon: Tohru Adachi  
The Sun: Fuuji and Masami Nakamura

* * *

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tamaki or Tadashi. They're actually previously existing characters. Tamaki was first introduced in "Shin Megami Tensei: if…" and had recurring appearances in Persona 1 and Persona 2, while Tadashi was introduced in Persona 1 and appeared once more in Persona 2. They were engaged in Persona 2, so I can only assume that they actually got married at some point._

_Rise's Social Link would pretty much be the same, sans romantic undertones – much like Chie's actually. To be honest, it's a little hard writing Rise, since such a huge part of her character in the original game is her attraction to the main character. So hopefully, I'm doing Rise justice in this._

_Also, Saki Konishi's Shadow. So this was an idea I had buzzing around in my head for a long time before I even started writing this thing – you can hear Saki talking in the TV world when you first go to the shopping district, so you could assume that her Shadow is still there. Since Saki herself didn't accept it, she's gone, but her Shadow lingered in the TV world, where Aika eventually found her. Now, Saki's Shadow embodies everything about her that she wanted to keep hidden – her frustration and spitefulness, for example, and since this is Saki's SHADOW and not Saki herself, Aika… doesn't get a pretty picture of her._

_So there's finally some romance in this chapter… and it's awkward as hell. Think about it – Aika hasn't had actual _friends_ in a really long time, let alone a _boyfriend_. Yosuke's the type to plan and plan incessantly about getting a girlfriend (Operation Babe Hunt, anyone?) that he has no idea what to do now that he actually _has_ a girlfriend. But they both really like each other, even though they're more like best friends with slight benefits than an actual couple right now._

_Also, Aika is much closer to Naoto in this than Yu ever was, primarily because she sees a lot of herself in Naoto. Because Aika's parents weren't around much, she learned to do pretty much everything by herself – much like Naoto did. And yeah, it got really lonely. Uncle also sees that in Naoto, hence why he insists that she come over for dinner so often._

_As for Naoto's character, here's all I have to say on the matter: NAOTO IS NOT A TRANSGENDER. I have nothing against transgenders – I actually have a few as friends – but it bugs me to no end that people misinterpret Naoto's character and make her out to be one, and then go all Social Justice Warrior on people who say otherwise. NAOTO'S GENDER ISSUES ARE ONLY A BYPRODUCT OF HER MAIN ISSUES. She doesn't want to be alone anymore. She wants to be accepted as an equal in a male-dominated profession, but because she's younger than everyone else, she doesn't get the respect she deserves. And, as such, she jumps to conclusions and assumes that they'll take her even _less_ seriously because she's female, so she preemptively counters any potential opposition on that level. Not because she identifies as a male, not because she feels wrong as a girl. _

_So… end rant. Shit's going to hit the fan in the next chapter. You know what's coming up next. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and please review!_


	8. Chapter 8

_I know I said this at the end of the last chapter, but shit gets real in this chapter. Brace yourselves, dear readers. NOVEMBER IS COMING._

* * *

"I don't see why I can't go to school today," Naoto said stubbornly, crossing her arms as she sat up with her back against the wall, frowning petulantly. "I am not an invalid."

"No," Aika said bluntly. "You're not going to school today. You're going to stay here and rest."

"But Senpai—"

"Uncle!" Aika yelled as she thrust open her room door. "Can you call Naoto-kun in sick?"

"Sure thing!" he yelled back, and Aika simply raised her eyebrows at her underclassman.

Naoto sighed. "Senpai, you can be absolutely terrible when you want to be," she said.

"It's for your own good," Aika retorted. "Not even Yukiko came back to school until two days after we rescued her. And I had to skip a day of school after I first went into the TV. Then again, I'm not really the best example…"

"I see no reason why I have to—"

"If you'd like, I can stay home and take care of you. If you want."

Naoto sighed as Aika smiled infuriatingly at her. "Fine. Just go to school. I will recuperate here."

Aika giggled and ruffled Naoto's hair affectionately. "Good girl, Naoto-k—chan."

"You don't have to force yourself," Naoto said. "If calling me 'Naoto-kun' feels more natural, then by all means, go ahead."

"What do you _want_ me to call you?" Aika asked.

Naoto shrugged. "Either one is fine. Or just 'Naoto' would work too."

"Okay," Aika said, smiling and nodding. "Then Naoto it is." The faintest of smiles appeared on Naoto's face, and Aika took it as progress. "Well, I'm off." And with that, she left the house without incident.

As she was walking to school, after parting ways with Nanako, someone ran up to her. "Aika-san!"

It was the boy from that Chinese restaurant Aiya's, but Aika couldn't, for the life of her, remember his name. "Oh… um…"

"Yu," the boy supplied helpfully. "Yu Narukami."

"Oh… S-Sorry, Yu-kun. It's been a while."

Yu smiled gently. "Yes, it has. Listen, you're friends with Yukiko Amagi, right?"

"Yeah," Aika replied.

"Can you pass on a message to her for me? We've both been so busy that neither of us can find time to meet." Aika raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything. "Can you tell her that we're willing to cater for the event on the twelfth, should the original caterers be unable to do so."

Oh, so it was inn business. For some reason, Aika was disappointed. "Sure, I'll pass the message."

"Thank you," Yu said. "And… can you come find me and tell me after you do? I know it sounds a little silly, but I'd feel _much_ better if I knew when exactly my message was delivered."

"Of… course…" Aika said slowly. And, true to her word, she told Yukiko exactly what Yu told her to say, and barely got a reaction from her at all. So, by the end of the school day, Aika resorted to circling the school hallways, searching for Yu.

Thankfully, he was rather easy to find, since he was so tall. "I passed on the message like you asked," she told him.

"Thank you very much," Yu replied, bowing his head to her. "I'm sorry for the trouble." He chuckled and stared pensively out the window a little ways away. "This sort of correspondence between us used to be so easy… Of course, _everything_ was simpler back then."

"So you guys are childhood friends?" Aika asked.

Yu smiled gently. "You could say that. I really _have_ known Yukiko-san all my life. We may have… drifted apart over the years, but I'd like to think that we can still be friends, if we put in the effort."

"Good luck," Aika told him. "I hope you guys do settle things." And then…

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Strength Arcanum…_

_Oh… I see… How many more do I have left?_ Yu bowed his head to Aika respectfully. "Thanks again, Aika-san."

* * *

"Would you stop fidgeting?" Aika asked as Naoto once again tugged at her skirt. "You look _fine_."

"This is surely against the dress code, combining the boys' and girls' uniforms like this," Naoto muttered.

"Yukiko wears a bright red sweater, and Chie wears a bright green jacket," Aika pointed out. "Kanji barely wears the uniform at all. You don't see _them_ getting in trouble."

Naoto sighed. "I suppose…" By now, they'd reached the school gates, where Chie, Yosuke, and Yukiko were standing and talking.

Yosuke raised his eyebrows and smirked as he saw Naoto. "Well, Naoto-kun, look at you!"

"You know, the boys' shirt and the girls' skirt actually look really nice together," Yukiko complimented.

"Hey look, it's the 'Detective Prince'," a student passing by sneered.

The boy he was with scoffed. "More like _princess_. I heard 'he's' a 'she'!"

Chie put her hands on Naoto's shoulders and spun the smaller girl around to face them. "Take a look for yourselves, assholes!"

The boys gossiping about Naoto briefly regarded her, and Aika laughed at the way their eyes seemed to bug out of their heads as they jumped. "Wh-Whoa!"

"Looks like the rumors are true," Aika said blandly, smiling. The boys both blushed furiously, before making some lame excuse and leaving.

"My, my…" Naoto said. "Rumors spread so quickly."

"Stop it, Naoto," Aika admonished. "You're giving Kanji _way_ too much competition!"

"He's going to kill you if he hears you saying that," Chie muttered. "You _do_ know that, right?"

"At any rate, I'd like to discuss the case with you all," Naoto interjected. "We're dealing with a kidnap-and-murder case perpetrated by someone lurking in this very town. And it isn't over yet… We shall discuss this in more detail after school."

And, as usual, the group, plus Naoto, made their way to Junes once the last bell had rung. "First, I heard the doorbell ring," Naoto said. "But when I opened the front door, I saw no one there. Just as alarm bells sounded in my mind, someone grabbed me roughly from behind and covered my mouth with something. Immediately afterward, I was put into something like a sack and most likely carried on the culprit's shoulder."

"Wow, how could you remember all that?" Rise asked, sounding impressed.

"The culprit seems to have used a chemical to incapacitate me," Naoto continued, "but luckily I wasn't completely unconscious. I had been expecting a trick along those lines, so I was somewhat prepared. And of course, I was desperate to gather as much information as I could."

"No wonder you're an ace detective!" Teddie gushed.

"That ain't something to be proud of," Kanji muttered. "You're too damn calm about all of this…"

"Judging by their actions and body type, I'd say the culprit is definitely a man," Naoto concluded. "I heard no conversations or voices, so I believe he is acting alone. It's after that that things get murky… I felt a single impact, which I assume is when I was thrown inside the TV… But the time from kidnapping to that point seemed too short… It was a matter of minutes."

"Could there have been a TV on the side of the road?" Chie asked in all seriousness.

"Regrettably, my memory from there on is a blur," Naoto said glumly.

"So it's just like with everyone else…" Aika said quietly. "The killer came up to the door and rang the bell… and that's when everyone was kidnapped."

"I finally understand why you all testified that you couldn't recall much of what happened," Naoto said. "Such a bizarre experience, with mental and physical fatigue on top of it… It's only natural to be confused. And, going by the surrounding circumstances, my kidnapping and everyone else's were near identical. There is no question that the culprit is the same in each case."

"So that Mitsuo guy…" Chie said slowly.

"I can't make any conclusions until I obtain more evidence," Naoto said, "but Mitsuo Kubo's only victim was Mr. Morooka. It was a copycat killing that mimicked the culprit's true method."

"No wonder King Moron's death broke the pattern in so many ways…" Yosuke mused.

"Wait a minute!" Chie interjected. "Mitsuo could enter the TV, right? Then why didn't he kill King Moron that way?"

"So we know that Ms. Yamano and Saki-senpai were _definitely _killed on the other side," Aika said. "That's why no one could say what exactly the cause of death was. But Naoto mentioned earlier that Mr. Morooka suffered a blunt trauma… Did… Mitsuo not know about the TV world?" She sighed. "Maybe we should just ask him in person."

"Unfortunately, I have been taken off this case," Naoto said, "so I cannot."

"They wouldn't admit that it wasn't Mitsuo in the first place…" Rise grumbled. "Once you've said something on TV, it's not easy to admit that you were wrong."

"The police won't readily concede that they made false charges," Naoto pointed out.

"Even if it's someone our age…" Aika said quietly.

"The general sentiment is that the police wanted to end this case with his arrest," Naoto said. "Even if it means that another killer may be at large."

"Those dickheads…" Kanji said in a low voice. "I had a feeling that would be the case. Not that I trusted 'em in the first place."

"But uh, Naoto…" Yosuke said uncertainly. "If you were that calm when it happened to you, couldn't you have… you know… I'm not saying you should've caught him, but isn't it kinda sad for an ace detective to go down that easily?"

"Um…" Naoto mumbled. "To tell you the truth… I was really scared… I-I'm sorry…"

"It can't be helped," Yukiko said helpfully. "None of us could resist the culprit either."

"Hell, even Kanji couldn't, and he was screaming death threats at us the day he got kidnapped," Chie deadpanned.

"What're you trying to say, Senpai?" Kanji demanded.

"We're saying you're a badass," Chie replied automatically. "It's a compliment."

"You know, Naoto…" Yosuke said. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you've really got balls."

Aika giggled when Naoto's face flushed scarlet. "Stop teasing her, Yosuke."

"R-Regardless…" Naoto stammered. "I have no doubt that the culprit will continue with his attacks. But this is no longer a mere job or someone else's affair… I want to know the truth of why we were targeted."

"So…" Aika said slowly. "Does this mean you'll join us?"

Naoto smiled. "Absolutely."

"Since I'm the King of the Geniuses," Teddie quipped, "I knew it would work out this way…" He pulled a pair of blue-rimmed glasses out from behind him. "Ta-da! Nao-chan's glasses!"

"Thank you," Naoto said as she took the glasses from him. "They told me about you, Teddie. I can sympathize with your drive to find yourself. If I may help in any way, let me know."

"Wow!" Teddie gushed. "What a nice girl!" And, for the rest of the evening, the conversation degenerated into small talk, and, for the first time, the group felt _whole_.

* * *

Aika couldn't believe her luck. Not only did she face no opposition whatsoever when she entered Inaba's detention center, but it was also rather easy to find Mitsuo's room… or whatever it was.

And, as expected, Mitsuo recognized her instantly. "Y-You!" he gasped, pressing an accusing finger to the glass pane separating them.

Aika sat down in front of him and clasped her hands firmly in her lap. "Me," she said. "So I take it that you remember me."

"You're that stupid bitch who—"

"I can see this isn't going to end well," Aika said, standing up promptly. "Maybe I should go."

"No, don't!" Mitsuo yelped. A look of confusion crossed his face, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just said, but then he sighed, and there was something so sad and lonely and desperate in his eyes that Aika felt more sorry for him than ever. "Stay. Please?" Aika sighed as she sat back down. "What do you want from me? I already told you – I did it all."

"No, you didn't," Aika retorted. "You only killed Mr. Morooka – not Ms. Yamano or Saki-senpai."

"No, I—"

"Tell me the truth." Surprisingly, Aika's voice came out firmly, but calmly at the same time. "Remember that place, where there was that thing that looked like you and talked a little like you? Each and every one of my closest friends has gone through exactly what you went through over there. Don't you think I have a right to know what's really going on?"

Mitsuo turned away, frowning. "Why should I tell you anything? You don't care about me…"

"Honestly? It's hard _not_ to care about you when you keep sulking like that."

Mitsuo sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging as if he was trying to hold the whole world up with them. "What do you want from me?" he asked again, though he sounded so much more tired that Aika seriously contemplated just leaving him alone.

But she didn't know when she'd get another opportunity like this again. "The truth," she replied. "Start at the beginning. Why did you kill Mr. Morooka?"

"Aren't you gonna ask about that announcer lady?" Mitsuo asked.

Aika shrugged. "There's no point. I know you didn't kill them."

Mitsuo gave a long, drawn-out sigh and stared upward. "He was a rat bastard, you know. Always so smug and superior, looking down on others just because he was this special _philosophy_ teacher or something, treating the rest of us like…"

Aika averted her eyes downward. "Yeah… I can imagine…"

"He used to pick on me, you know. _Me_. I mean, sure I've been picked on at school, but he should've been _different_. He's a _teacher_. He should _know_ better!"

"But killing him won't solve—"

"He's _gone_!" Mitsuo yelled, slamming his hands down on the table in front of him. "And I'm _glad_ he's out of my life! Now he can't bother me anymore!"

"But was killing him really the best—"

"What else was I supposed to do?"

Aika sighed. "Please don't yell. I'll get in a lot of trouble if I get caught visiting you." She sighed again. "What about the TV world? How did you end up in there? Did you run there after you got caught?"

"Run… where?"

"The place where we fought your Shadow!"

Mitsuo turned away. "I-I don't remember… I was in the interrogation room one minute, and then the next, I was there… I really don't remember anything."

"So you didn't jump in on your own?" Aika asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Inside the TV?" Mitsuo asked, his eyes widening in wonder. "Is that really possible?"

Aika grasped her arm tightly. "Never mind that…" She stood up. "I should get going. Um… thanks for talking, Mitsuo-kun."

"Hey," Mitsuo said. "You're… not that bad. Come back later… if you want…" Aika smiled faintly at him as yet another Social Link formed.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…  
Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Tower Arcanum…_

Aika just shook her head. _Why am I not surprised?_ "I'll try," she promised Mitsuo. "Until then… just don't give my uncle a hard time, all right? I'll see you later." When she left, she couldn't ignore the guilty yet somehow simultaneously warm feeling in her gut.

* * *

Aika sighed as she stepped out into the hospital's hallway. Once again, she was the last person to be checked up on. "Hey," Yosuke said as soon as he saw her. "How'd it go?"

Aika shrugged. "It was just an ordinary checkup," she replied. "Nothing's wrong with me."

"Ugh," Kanji groaned. "Hospitals suck balls."

"Was there really a point to this?" Rise asked. "The doctors looked confused too…"

"I think it's sweet that Naoto-kun's worrying about us like this," Yukiko said. "Besides – the main reason we're here is because of Teddie ."

At that moment, Naoto and Teddie walked up to them, both of them looking somewhat confused. "I'm very sorry for the wait," Naoto said.

"I'm bear-y sorry for the wait," Teddie said.

"What's wrong?" Aika asked. "Did they find out anything about Teddie?"

"They did indeed…" Naoto sighed. "They found out that they can't tell anything about him. I even had them take an X-ray, but nothing came up on it. No matter how many times they tried, it would always be too blurry to read. A visual examination and standard palpations indicated that he seems perfectly normal. Since the machine could be malfunctioning, they told me to try another hospital if we're still worried about him. I felt bad for making them go through all this…"

"So he _is_ different…" Yukiko mused.

"Oh my," Teddie said, not sounding upset or confused at all. "What should I do? They took a look at _everything_ inside me."

"She just said they couldn't see anything on the X-ray, you dork," Chie said.

"But at least they didn't find anything wrong with him, right?" Kanji asked. "Man, we know as much about Teddie as we do those Personas and Shadows…"

"Oh yeah," Yosuke quipped. "I tried looking them up on the internet. Persona means something like, another personality. And I think they listed Shadows under the related terms."

"I performed my own research after the incident," Naoto said. "'Persona' and 'Shadow' are common psychological terms. Of course, the ones we are familiar with don't quite fit those definitions. I came about this in an unofficial report: a Shadow is suppressed power, and it becomes a Persona when controlled by one's ego."

"That makes sense," Aika said. "You all didn't get your Personas until after you faced your Shadows."

"Yeah, but that doesn't really explain you either," Chie pointed out. "Oh yeah, I forgot Naoto doesn't know."

"Aika has the power to use multiple Personas," Yukiko explained. "She doesn't use it very much, though…"

Naoto raised her eyebrows. "Interesting… Did this come after you faced your Shadow, or…?"

"Actually, Aika didn't have to face her Shadow," Yosuke said. "She awakened to her Persona right as my Shadow went berserk."

"Perhaps you can give me some details on this ability, Senpai?" Naoto asked.

"Um…" Aika mumbled, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Well… I-It's called the Wild Card. I can either find Personas from Shadows I defeat or fuse the ones I already have to make new ones. I feel more comfortable using my initial Persona, though, so I don't use the Wild Card so much anymore, and I kind of stopped fusing new Personas a while ago."

Naoto walked over to Aika and stared at her square in the eye. "It sounds like there's something you're hiding."

Aika shrugged. _Only Social Links…_ "I just… don't feel comfortable using this power. That's all."

But Naoto appeared unconvinced. Before she could get another word in, Teddie stepped in between them, grinning mischievously. "There's some things we _do_ know, though…" He pulled out a small stack of papers. "I got a bunch of awesome data with me! It's kinda embarrassing that I'm the only one who had personal details shown to the world, so… nowadays, information wants to be free! Therefore, I'll break the ice by announcing the results of everyone's physical exams!"

"Wha-?" Chie shrieked. "No you won't! Give 'em to me now!"

"Ooh," Teddie said as he sidestepped Chie. "First place in the 'shortest legs division' is… huh. Who would've guessed?"

"It's probably me," Aika said. "I'm the shortest one here."

"Look, if you're gonna blab it all…" Yosuke said, and Aika _really_ didn't like that smirk on his face. "You might as well tell us the girls' measurements!"

"What?" Chie shrieked.

"No, please don't, Teddie!" Aika begged.

"Go right ahead," Rise said confidently. "My profile's been public knowledge for ages. Oh, but my bust size is two centimeters smaller than they print. My agency insisted."

"D-Don't say mine!" Yukiko yelped.

"Aw, don't feel bad, Senpai," Rise said. "Besides – modestly sized breasts like yours would _definitely_ make it easier to wear a kimono." Rise peered over the shoulder. "Oh, Naoto-kun's is in here too, huh? Let's see, Naoto-kun's is…" She gasped and jumped back. "Is this… for real? Wait, isn't this measured wrong?"

"A-Anyways…" Naoto interjected, swiping the papers from Teddie's hands. "The important thing is that according to the examination results, nothing's wrong with our health! So we won't be needing these anymore!"

"Let's go shred them," Aika suggested.

"I'll take care of it, Senpai," Naoto said in a sickeningly sweet voice as she ran off.

Teddie sighed. "They still couldn't find out anything about me…"

"Don't worry, Teddie," Aika said. "We'll figure this out."

"C'mon, man," Kanji said, slinging one arm around the shorter boy. "Let's go get some Topsicles."

* * *

The day Aika finished her last midterm, she went home straight after school to get some sleep, as she'd stayed up rather late the previous night to study. "I'm home," she called tiredly, but there was no response. Nanako wasn't by her usual spot at the table, either. "Nanako…?" Aika sighed as she plopped down on the couch and leaned backward. _Guess she's not home yet…_

Suddenly, the front door opened. "I'm home!" Nanako called. Aika stood up and made her way to the front of the house to greet her younger cousin. "Welcome back, Big Sis! There was a letter for you in the mailbox!" Nanako handed Aika a small white envelope. "Oh, my show's on!"

As she ran to the table and switched on the TV, Aika examined the envelope closely. Though it was addressed, "To Miss Aika Nakamura," the sender's name and address were nowhere to be found. That should have been her first clue that something was wrong, but she opened the envelope anyway, hoping that it was just a hoax and that everything was all right. Only one sentence was printed on the note inside with characters cut out and pasted from magazines and newspapers: "dont rescue anymore". Aika's breath caught in her throat as she read and reread the sentence over and over – "dont rescue anymore". And the more she read it, the more convinced she became that it was a warning from the killer, instead of a prank. And all the while, she couldn't stop shaking or hyperventilating.

It was all she could do to put the letter aside and wait until lunchtime the next day to show it to everyone else. Yosuke's arm was draped comfortingly around her, but she still trembled slightly in fear and anxiety. The killer knew where she lived, and he knew what she was doing, and everything was going wrong. "Is this a warning?" Naoto asked, sounding worried.

"No punctuation or capitalization…" Chie observed. "What a cliché."

"Ain't this just a prank?" Kanji asked. "The kinda stuff that only happens in movies?"

"I-I don't know…" Aika mumbled, wrapping her arms protectively around herself.

"Did you tell your uncle?" Yosuke asked her.

"H-He didn't come home last night, b-but…"

"Senpai…" Naoto said quietly. "Dojima-san is trustworthy, but it may be best to keep this to ourselves."

"B-But—"

"He worries about you quite a lot," Naoto continued. "If he were to find out this letter, he would no doubt put you under surveillance, and our hands would be tied." But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, Aika couldn't bring herself to agree. Her uncle would protect her for sure. Maybe if he knew exactly what was going on, even everything about the TV world, he'd be able to help…

"About this letter, though…" Yukiko piped up. "What worries me is that it was delivered directly to Aika's house. Doesn't this mean that the culprit knows exactly what we're doing?"

"Maybe not exactly, but he might have a pretty good idea," Chie answered.

"Yeah, and he delivered the letter to Aika-senpai's house," Rise pointed out. "Her uncle's a _detective_."

"The text is only a warning," Naoto said, "while the subtext expresses the culprit's confidence that we can't use it to pinpoint his identity."

"Cross your fingers it's just a prank…" Yosuke said, hugging Aika closer to him.

"I think the chances of that are slim," Yukiko said glumly. "The message is too specific, too perfect to be a prank."

"But how could the killer know so much about us?" Rise asked. "Is he… watching us from somewhere? Didn't Teddie mention something about him sensing someone watching us in there?"

"Wait…" Yosuke said. "Every time we went to the other side to save someone, did we end up on the Midnight Channel ourselves?"

"I haven't heard any rumors at school," Chie said. "Even the people who I know check that channel haven't said anything, and the only gossip I heard was about the people who disappeared."

"So… we just wait?" Aika asked quietly.

"Sounds about right," Kanji muttered.

"You okay?" Yosuke asked her. "It must've been kinda scary, having that sort of letter addressed to you."

Aika leaned against him. "I-I'm fine…" she lied. "Don't worry."

"Mind if I change the subject?" Chie quipped. "The Culture Festival's just around the corner. What's our class doing again?"

"I heard we'll be voting on it soon, but aren't they still gathering ideas?" Yukiko asked.

"Ooh, I just thought of something!" Yosuke said suddenly.

"This doesn't sound good…" Chie grumbled.

* * *

"You better have a damn good explanation for this!" Chie yelled several days later on the school rooftop.

Yosuke crossed his arms and laughed innocently. "For what?"

Chie stomped her foot angrily. "The cosplay pageant! You signed us up without asking us, didn't you?"

"I-It wasn't me!" Yosuke protested.

Aika crossed her arms and looked him square in the eye. "I'm very disappointed in you, Yosuke."

His face turned red. "Gah, okay, it was me… B-But it's not that big of a deal! If you don't want to do it, then just don't!"

"We wouldn't be so pissed if we could do that!" Chie screeched. "With Kashiwagi planning this year's events, even those who got entered by other people can't back out!"

"Seriously? Must've been something in the fine print I overlooked…"

"Why the hell did you sign us up then?" Yukiko demanded.

"I-I just thought it would be fun, okay?" Yosuke said. "We've got an idol, a Detective Prince, and Yukiko's pretty popular too…"

"Yeah, but what about me?" Chie yelled. "And Aika too!"

"Look, I just thought this would be a good time to get a little team bonding in!" Yosuke tried to explain. "And it's a cosplay pageant, so you can be whatever you want!"

"It's not an all girls' pageant, is it?" Aika asked, tapping her foot in front of her.

"Uh…" Yosuke mumbled. "No?"

Aika smiled at Naoto. "I'm on it," the first year said.

"Wait, what?" Yosuke yelped.

"Ooh, we're signing them up too, aren't we?" Yukiko asked. "This is going to be great!"

"You better get ready, Yosuke," Chie said, smirking. "I am _not_ going down without a fight."

"Boyfriend privilege doesn't extend to this pageant, unfortunately," Aika said, smiling. "I'm still going to kick your ass… not literally."

"H-Hey, I so didn't need that image, Senpai!" Kanji yelped.

"Oh, you're in too, Kanji," Rise said. "This'll be great!"

Naoto ran up to the rooftop at that point, out of breath but smirking. "Mission complete."

"Yes!" Rise cheered.

"This appears to be a problem," Naoto sighed. "It seems unfitting for someone like me to appear on stage…"

"I-I… don't think it's a problem at all," Kanji said. "I-I mean, just do it! Y'now… Seriously!"

Rise giggled. "Silly Kanji. Just tell her you want her to be in the pageant!"

"Um…" Kanji mumbled, his face red. "I beg you. Please be in it. If you do, my… doubts… will finally be cleared. C'mon, make me a man!"

"Doubts?" Naoto echoed. "What are you talking about?"

Aika outright laughed at them. "What he's saying, Naoto, is—"

"Shut it, Senpai!" He clenched his fists and stared at Naoto with a strange expression. "C'mon, just do it! You're an ace detective, aren't you?"

"Wha—" Naoto gasped. "What does that have to do with a cosplay pageant?"

* * *

All in all, everyone's costumes turned out spectacularly. Through some miracle, Aika managed to find enough things in Rise's enormous closet – namely, a white shirt with long, loose, flowing sleeves, an orange jumpsuit, and a corset – to piece together a costume. Naoto and Rise really put a lot of effort into their costumes (though Aika suspected that Rise had a lot to do with the reason why). Naoto wore a short blue skirt with a white top with blue sleeves and a white cape on her shoulders, while Rise wore a frilly pink dress with puffy white sleeves and a lot of pink ribbons, along with pink ribbons in her hair. Yukiko wore a loose lavender sweatshirt and dark blue sweatpants, though Aika couldn't quite tell who she was trying to be. Kanji had painted his face blue and donned a large black cloak decorated with red clouds. Yosuke wore a V-neck white T-shirt, a black jacket with a fur trim collar, black leather pants, and black boots and gloves. Finally, Chie wore a white headband tied around her forehead, along with a sleeveless green turtleneck and tan shorts.

"Everyone looks _amazing_!" Rise gushed.

"I still do not understand why you forced me to wear this," Naoto grumbled, fidgeting with her skirt.

"It's our theme, Naoto-kun!" Rise said exasperatedly. "You and me are from the same anime, just like Yukiko-senpai and Kanji are from the same anime. Then Aika-senpai, Yosuke-senpai, and Chie-senpai are all from the same video game."

"Different games in the same franchise!" Kanji, who was avoiding looking in Naoto's direction at all costs, corrected.

Rise waved her hand dismissively at him. "Yeah, that."

"Wow, Naoto," Yosuke said, sounding impressed. "You look a lot like a girl… more so than how it's been so far. So, are you a man yet, Kanji?"

"Sh-Shut up!" Kanji yelled. "… but yeah."

Chie screeched something straight out of a kung-fu movie. "Thanks for the cosplay tips, Kanji! I love my character!"

"Yeah, thanks for helping us piece all these costumes together, Kanji-kun," Yukiko said.

"Everyone…!" Teddie was at the doorway with a camera hanging around his neck. "Everyone looks so _wonderful_!"

"Take lots of pictures of us, okay Teddie?" Rise asked excitedly.

"I-I don't think I can do this…" Aika mumbled.

"It's all in the attitude, Aika!" Chie whispered, putting her hands on Aika's shoulders and pushing her forward. And, before long, they were back stage.

"Are you guys ready?" Yosuke asked.

"Ready!" everyone replied.

"All right," Yosuke said, cracking his knuckles and smirking. "Let's wreck the competition!"

* * *

"Wow!" Rise gasped as she entered the hot springs. "This place is huge!"

Nanako giggled as she stared up at the sky above. "Wow, you can see the stars!" She ran forward with Rise, laughing.

"H-Hey, don't run!" Aika called after them both.

"Huh?" Chie mumbled. "Where's Naoto?"

Rise gave a mischievous smirk as she ran back inside. "C'mon, Naoto-kun! No need to get shy _now_!" She dragged out Naoto, who was dressed in a towel like everyone else. Except…"

"So, the truth comes out…" Yukiko mused as she bent down and stared at her—

"What has gotten into you all?" Naoto wailed, blushing furiously. Aika and Nanako entered the hot springs, followed by Yukiko, and then Rise and Chie forcibly dragging Naoto in.

"Wow, Naoto-kun," Rise said. "Your skin looks so soft! Can I touch? Can I touch?"

Yukiko made her way over and rubbed Naoto's shoulder. "Wow, it really is smooth."

"You're so lucky!" Chie said. "You have such fair skin and silky hair…"

"No unneeded body fat either!" Rise added.

"_And_ you don't look like you're ten years old, either," Aika finished.

"You're really pretty, Naoto-kun!" Nanako said.

Naoto cleared her throat, blushing, and escaped the crowd of girls that now surrounded her. "So, Nanako-chan… A-Are you okay with staying over at someone else's place like this? Aren't you scared?"

"No, it's lots of fun!" Nanako replied. "I sleep over at my friend Mana-chan's house all the time! And at home, I'm _always _alone until Big Sis comes back." Aika looked downward guiltily, but she couldn't think of anything to say. "But I'm good at staying home alone. I always do what my dad tells me, like not opening the door for strangers."

"I bet he's so proud of you!" Chie said encouragingly.

"Hey Nanako-chan," Yukiko quipped. "Do you want to swim around?"

"Can I?" Nanako asked excitedly.

"Of course!" Yukiko replied. She let Nanako grab onto her arms, and the two of them started swimming around the hot springs.

Aika sighed contentedly as she leaned against the rocks. "Hey, you're not getting dizzy _already_, are you?" Chie asked with a hint of concern to her voice.

"No, I'm fine," Aika said. "I just… I don't know. This feels really nice, being here with everyone."

"More so than what it usually is?" Naoto asked.

Aika smiled and nodded. "This is my first sleepover at a friend's house, and…" She giggled. "I feel like I'm at the school campout again."

"You were sick for half of it!" Chie pointed out.

"I mean after that…" Aika said quietly, gazing up at the stars. Then, the illusion of peace was shattered.

"CANNONBALL!" Teddie dived into the hot springs, splashing Aika with water.

"H-Hey, what the—" Aika heard Yosuke gasp, and she gave a mortified shriek as she sank underwater.

"Y-You guys?" Chie gasped.

"Wh-Why are you guys here?" Yosuke yelped.

"Th-That's my line!" Chie shrieked.

"Okay, everyone calm down," Naoto said. "I believe there's been a major misunderstanding here."

"Oh!" Yukiko gasped. "It's actually the guys' turn to use the hot springs now! I got the times mixed up…"

"So…" Rise drawled. "Should we get out, then?"

"Oh, maybe we can all use the springs together!" Nanako suggested.

"S-Say what?" Kanji yelped, his face turning a furious shade of red as he avoided Naoto's gaze at all costs.

"If we give our word to not try anything funny, will you let us come in with you?" Yosuke asked.

"I don't like this…" Yukiko mumbled.

"I'm being serious here!" Yosuke said, before clearing his throat. "I, Yosuke Hanamura, do solemnly swear that I will not touch any girls in this hot spring – not even Aika-chan. I also swear that I will not look at any members of the opposite sex lecherously or with any perverted intent whatsoever."

"M-Me too," Kanji said.

"Aw, no looking at girls?" Teddie whined. "But I _do_ want to stay in here… Okay! Teddie agrees!"

Rise looked to the other girls. "Well?"

"I-If they promise not to do anything…" Aika said quietly.

"I _guess _it should be okay…" Chie mumbled.

"I-I just won't tell anyone this happened," Yukiko said.

"Sweet!" Yosuke cheered as he leapt into the hot springs, followed by Kanji cannonballing in.

All in all, it was a good day.

* * *

"It's cold today…" Nanako said the next night, shivering.

"Yeah, I know," Aika said. "I didn't think it would get so cold so soon…"

"And now for our next story," the announcer on TV said. "Mr. Kozai of the Environmental Concern Society visited a local elementary school to investigate the effects of the fog. Thick fog has appeared frequently in Inaba over the past few years, and the cause of it has yet to be determined. There's been much conjecture on the origin of this fog, and some are concerned about its effects on the human body. Town officials believe it highly unlikely that the fog could be harmful. One official suggested that the concern is largely tied to public anxiety in response to the recent murders. On hearing about the phenomenon, Mr. Kozai visited the local elementary school to investigate its effects. He interviewed the children playing happily in the fog about their health and any anxieties they were facing…"

"Oh, that man came to my school," Nanako quipped.

"Upon completing the investigation," the announcer continued. "Mr. Kozai issued a statement: 'In this day and age, one must stay aware of even slight changes in the environment and react politically. Today, I talked with a young student who spoke her own mind, free from the influence of those around her. It was an attitude and an example that we as adults can learn from. Our primary concern should always be to protect these children's futures.' On that note, Mr. Kozai ended his statement. The assembled parents applauded, but some raised concerns that it was a show to attract voters in the next election…"

At that point, Nanako sneezed. "Are you okay?" Aika asked, looking to her cousin in concern.

"My head hurts…" Nanako complained. Sure enough, her face was pale with a slight red flush to her cheeks.

Aika made her way over and placed one hand on Nanako's forehead and the other on her own. "You have a fever," she said. "Let's go upstairs." She helped Nanako stand up and the two made their way upstairs. Aika unrolled Nanako's futon and instructed her to lie down before going to find cold medicine. "I-It'll be okay," Aika said, though she couldn't help but wonder if the reassurance was for Nanako or for herself – while Nanako had caught colds during the school year, she'd never been _this_ ill. "It doesn't look too serious, so I think you'll be okay by tomorrow. You should stay home from school anyway, just in case. And… I-I'll take you to the doctor tomorrow if you're still not feeling well."

"Big Sis?" Nanako said quietly after taking some medicine. "Are you… going back home in the spring…? It's going to be winter soon…"

"I…" Aika said quietly. Actually, the prospect of leaving Inaba hadn't occurred to her in a long time. And honestly, she didn't want to leave. "I want to stay here with everyone…"

"If it snows, can we make a snowman?" Nanako asked.

Aika couldn't help at smile. "Yeah, of course. We'll make a big one… and we'll even get Uncle to help."

"Let's play all the time until spring," Nanako said tiredly, her eyes drooping shut. Before long, she was fast asleep, and Aika left her room, flipping off the light switch as she did so.

* * *

A few nights later, the doorbell rang shortly after dinner. "Did Uncle forget his keys?" Aika asked.

Nanako ran to the door, then came back shortly afterwards looking forlorn. "It was the deliveryman," she said. "He wanted to know where Mr. Takahashi's house is." Then, the phone rang. "Hello, this is the Dojima residence. Oh, hi Dad!" Nanako's face fell. "Uh-huh… okay, I know it's your job… Bye-bye…" She hung up the phone and sighed. "Dad's coming home tomorrow…"

Aika sighed as well, shivering. It was barely November – how could it _possibly_ be so cold already? "Hey, Nanako… didn't Uncle say we could bring out the kotatsu if it got too cold?"

"Yeah, let's do that!" Nanako agreed, smiling cheerfully. Somehow, the two of them managed to pull the heavy kotatsu out from the closet, along with a large blanket. But, when Nanako flipped the switch, nothing happened.

"Hang on a sec," Aika said as she crawled under the kotatsu. It didn't feel any different at all, which meant… "It looks like it's broken," she said, sticking her head out from under the kotatsu. She crawled back out, but decided to sit next to Nanako instead of going back to her original spot. "Hm… I wonder if Uncle will let us buy one…"

"Huh?" Nanako asked excitedly. "We can buy one? At Junes?"

"Sure! Maybe Yosuke can get us a good deal, too." And the rest of the evening passed by uneventfully. When midnight finally rolled around, it was still raining, so Aika sat in front of the TV in her room, waiting for something to happen. And, sure enough, a silhouette appeared on the Midnight Channel – but it was so blurry that Aika couldn't tell what gender the person was, let alone who it was to begin with. Somehow, that made her feel even more panicked.

The next morning, her parents called first thing in the morning. "Good morning, Aika-chan!" her mother said cheerfully.

"Morning," Aika said tiredly, rubbing her eyes. "Um… I have school in few hours."

"Oh, then you have plenty of time," Masami said. "Listen – there's something I need to tell you. Remember how you said you wanted to come back with us a couple of months ago? Well, basically, our work here in France is almost over, and we're heading back to Mikage-cho at the start of the new year! You'll be attending St. Hermelin High School starting in January!"

That sufficiently woke Aika up. "Wait… what?"

"We'll be coming back earlier than we expected, and you won't have to stay in Inaba for the rest of the year!"

"Wh-Wha—no!" Aika yelled. "I don't want that!"

"Sorry, sweetie, but it's already been decided," Masami said fleetingly. "It's okay. You just have one more year of high school after this."

"But Mom, you _promised_ I could stay for the whole year, at least!"

"And you said you didn't want to!"

"No I didn't! I just said I missed you, that's all!"

"Huh…" Masami said, a hard edge to her voice. "So you're really choosing that shithole over your own parents."

"Mom, that's not what I—"

"I can't believe you're being so selfish about this, Aika."

"Mom, please let me stay…"

"No can do, Aika. I'd suggest you start packing soon so that you won't be scrambling at the last minute like you always do." Her mother hung up the phone at that, and Aika knew at that point that it was going to be a bad day.

* * *

"I watched the Midnight Channel last night as you suggested," Naoto said after school the next day. "To think a master of deduction and evidence would strain her eyes over an urban legend like this… And yet… I definitely saw someone."

"Could any of you tell who it was?" Yosuke asked.

"From a fuzzy picture like that?" Kanji retorted. "No way."

"How about the regular TV?" Yukiko asked. "Has anyone become famous lately?"

"There was that thing about that environmentalist," Aika pointed out. Of course she'd remember something like that – that was the day Nanako got sick. "Mr. Kozai, right?"

"But the chances of him being the one are slim," Naoto said. "He returned immediately to the city after his inquiry."

"From what I saw…" Teddie said slowly. "Wasn't the person on TV last night pretty small?"

"I dunno," Chie replied. "It was too blurry to make out any details, including how tall or short they were."

"Did you sense anyone on the other side?" Aika asked.

"Nope," Teddie answered. "No one's come so far."

"Then we might have to wait one more night and see," Rise suggested.

"There's one more thing I'd like to discuss," Naoto said. "Aika-senpai… Social Links. What are they?"

Aika froze as everyone's eyes were suddenly on her. "Wh-What?"

"It's a very simple question," Naoto said. "What. Are. Social Links?"

Aika looked downward, wishing she could just melt into the floor. "H-How did you…?"

"I ran into a friend of yours," Naoto explained. "Margaret, I believe her name was? She asked me if I was one of your _Social Links_. Well, Senpai? Am I?"

Aika couldn't stop shaking. Was this how Mitsuo felt when everyone was interrogating him after they saved him from the TV? Why was everything going wrong? "I… I…"

"Just tell us, Aika," Yosuke said.

"What, is it so bad that you can't trust us enough to tell us?" Chie demanded.

"N-No, I-I…" Aika sighed. "Social Links… th-they're part of the Wild Card… I-I'm not sure how exactly it's supposed to work, b-but b-basically, each of you corresponds to a different Arcanum in the Major Arcana. Y-Yosuke's the Magician, Ch-Chie's the Chariot, Yukiko's the High Priestes, K-Kanji's the Emperor, Rise's the Lovers, a-and Naoto's the Wheel of Fortune… a-and it's not just you guys, it's lots of other people too. Th-The more time I spend with you all, the stronger these Social Links get, a-and then I can summon more powerful Personas…"

"So you just hung around with us so you could get more powerful, huh?" Kanji asked, sounding disappointed, but not angry.

"N-No, I…"

"So who else was there, besides us?" Yosuke asked, a hard edge to his voice that Aika couldn't remember him using any other time besides when he was interrogating Mitsuo.

"I-I…"

"Tell us the truth!" he exploded, and Aika wanted to die.

"Uncle, N-Nanako… my parents… N-Naoki-kun, Saki-senpai's Shadow…"

"What?" Yosuke said in a low whisper, and he just sounded so hurt and betrayed that Aika mentally kicked herself for saying anything at all. "You _met_ Saki-senpai's Shadow? And you never told me?"

"Sh-She asked me not to…" Aika stood up quickly, and it was becoming harder and harder not to cry. A dozen possibilities flew through her mind – her friends abandoning her, ending the school year completely alone yet again, moving to Mikage-cho within the next couple of months with only bad memories of Inaba left behind… "I-I have to go…" she said before her friends could say anything else, before they could take back everything they'd given her for the past several months. And as she started running, the tears began to fall.

"Senpai, wait!" Rise cried, but Aika didn't stop.

* * *

Nanako, Aika deduced, was uncannily good at noticing when there was something wrong. Then again, Aika wasn't doing such a good job of hiding her own anxiety herself, as she kept sniffling, and every so often, her mind would drift back to Naoto asking what Social Links were and Yosuke's hurt and betrayed expression, and then she'd start crying again and she'd have to excuse herself so that Nanako wouldn't see. Everything was going _wrong_. Uncle coming home, albeit rather late at night, _did_ lift her spirits a little, though.

"Dad, the kotatsu's broken," Nanako said immediately after welcoming him home. "Can me and Big Sis go buy a new one?"

"The kotatsu…?" he echoed. "Oh, so it's that season already. Yeah, the weather has been pretty odd lately…" He smiled. "All right, I'll leave it up to you two. Get whichever kind you want."

"Thanks, Dad!" Nanako said cheerfully.

"Oh yeah, by the way…" Uncle pulled a single white envelope – again, addressed only to Aika, without the sender's name or address – out of his pocket and handed it to her. "This came for you in the mail." All Aika could do was stare at it, and she shivered, though not entirely from the cold. If there was any doubt before that the killer knew exactly how involved in the case she was, there was none now, and now, more than ever in her life, Aika was terrified. "What's wrong? What's…?" He sighed. "Let me see that." He opened the envelope, and Aika hugged her knees tightly as she tried not to panic. "'if you dont stop this time someone close will be put in and killed'…" Uncle read. "H-Hey… What the hell is this?" He looked to Aika, frowning though not necessarily at her. "It doesn't look like this is the first letter like this you've received… So someone's been threatening you? Why? Since when? Why didn't you say anything about it?"

"I-I don't know…" Aika said in a quiet, shaking voice.

Now, Uncle looked absolutely furious. "No, I'm starting to think you _do_ know."

"D-Dad…?" Nanako whispered.

"Tell me the truth," Uncle said. "You're involved in the case, aren't you?"

"U-Uncle…"

"So you and your friends do more than just talk about it, huh? And now it's…" He stared at the letter for a few seconds before crumpling it in his fist. "Come on. We're going down to the station. If someone's threatening you like this, I can't just sit by and do nothing." He turned to Nanako as he shoved the warning letter in his pocket. "Nanako, can you look after the house for a bit? We'll be right back." Nanako looked to Aika for reassurance, but all Aika could do was sit there, shaking, half wanting to call Yosuke and tell him what happened, even though he probably wouldn't be able to take anything she might've said to him well, and half wanting to just tell Uncle everything right then and there, even though Naoto specifically told her not to.

* * *

"Damn…" Yosuke muttered as he shelved various items in Junes. "Why'd she have to run off like that…?"

Teddie walked over to him at this point. "Yosuke, why are you sad?" the bear, now in his human form, asked glumly. "Are you really that worried about Aika-chan?"

"Damn it, she didn't even give us a chance to say anything!" Yosuke ranted. "I mean, I guess it _did_ sort of look like we were ganging up on her, but…" He groaned in frustration and slammed his fist against the wall. "She should know better!" He sighed. "And she should've told us about those Social Link things too…"

"So, why don't you call her and ask her?" Teddie suggested.

Yosuke sighed. "Thanks, Teddie. I _never_ thought of doing that." But, nonetheless, he pulled out his cell phone and called her number. "Guess I just needed the little extra push…" The phone rang five times before going straight to Aika's voicemail. "Hey, it's me… I… guess you really don't want to talk now, huh? That's okay. Just… call me back when you feel like talking, okay? I'm not mad at you – none of us are. We just wish you'd trust us enough to tell us… those kinds of things. So… call me." But somehow, despite the fact that Aika didn't answer, Yosuke felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off his shoulders when he finally pressed the end button.

"She didn't pick up, huh?" Teddie asked glumly.

"No, but she'll hear the message," Yosuke said, smiling. "Speaking of which…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flip phone. "I got you a cell phone. I already put in all the numbers you need – mine, Mom and Dad's, Aika's, Chie's, Yukiko's, Kanji's, Rise's, Naoto's… you know, the usual."

"Yosuke…" And, all of a sudden, Teddie's arms were wrapped tightly around Yosuke's waist. "Yosuke, I love you, I love you, I love you!"

"Okay…" Yosuke said slowly and awkwardly. "Lots of love here. Great."

"So Aika-chan just needs a lot of love right now, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so…"

"I'm gonna call her and tell her how much I love her!" Teddie flipped open his phone and frowned at it confusedly. "Uh… How do I call her?"

"Read the buttons," Yosuke said impatiently.

"Okay, okay," Teddie grumbled. "Let's see… menu… contacts… Aika-chan!" Yosuke smiled faintly as Teddie put the phone to his ear, but then Teddie's face fell slowly. "She didn't pick up!"

"Leave a message," Yosuke said.

"When do I—oh, after it beeps!" Teddie cleared his throat dramatically. "Hi there, Aika-chan! Don't be sad, okay? I'm going to give you a _bear_-y big hug the next time I see you! Okay, bye!" Teddie proudly pressed the end button and beamed at Yosuke. "I wanna call Nana-chan next!"

"Hang on, I'll do it," Yosuke said as he pulled out his own cell phone again and dialed Aika's home number. "Hello, Nanako-chan?"

"Hi," Nanako said, sounding glum.

"Hey, is your sister home?" Yosuke asked.

"No…" Nanako replied faintly. "She… She got a weird letter and got really scared… and then Dad saw it and got really upset…" Yosuke froze, and his phone slipped out of his hand.

Teddie dived toward it and caught it before it could hit the ground, before putting it to his ear. "Good evening, this is your Teddie speaking… Let's get together and eat snacks again!"

"Weird letter…?" Yosuke thought aloud. "Does that mean…?"

"Wh-What?" Teddie gasped. "Aika-chan's at the police station?"

"Don't tell me…" Yosuke's eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Did Aika get another warning letter?"

"U-Uh…" Teddie said faintly. "Everything's going to be all right, Nana-chan! We'll go check up on your sister and your dad, okay?"

"Teddie!" Yosuke shouted. "Give me the phone back! I need to call the others!"

* * *

Aika was scared out of her mind. She couldn't, for the life of her, stop shaking and crying as she sat across from Uncle in an interrogation room in the police station – incidentally, the one where Adachi first brought her when he accidentally arrested her. Uncle picked up the warning letter, which was sitting on the table in front of him, and frowned at it. "What were you thinking, trying to hide something like this…?" He sighed and clasped his hands together, looking straight at her. "Look, I'm not trying to interrogate you or anything. I just want to know what's really going on."

"I-I'll tell you," Aika choked. "I'll tell you e-everything…" Her mind had been made up for a while now – the second warning letter just reinforced her decision.

"Get her some water, Adachi," Uncle said.

"Right away, Dojima-san!" Adachi replied. "Don't worry, Aika-chan. You're safe here."

Uncle nodded. "Right." As Adachi left, Uncle sighed again. "So tell me. What have you gotten yourself into?" And so, Aika told him everything – about the Midnight Channel, about the TV world that she, Yosuke, and Chie accidentally discovered, about rescuing everyone who'd been kidnapped and somehow trying to solve the case at the same time… and all the while, Uncle's expression grew more and more incredulous. "Persona…? People going inside a TV?"

"I-It's true," Aika said, sniffling. "I know it sounds crazy, b-but I can prove it."

"W-Wait… You're not seriously going to…" Aika took a deep breath and walked over to the TV a little ways away. It wasn't a particularly large screen, but she'd be able to fit into it – no problem. She pushed her hand inside easily and effortlessly, and were the circumstances not so serious, she would have laughed at her uncle's dumbfounded expression. "You've gotta be kidding me…"

"Everything I said was the truth," Aika said much more confidently and calmly than before. "And I told you everything I know."

Uncle stood up and reached into his pocket, before frowning as he pat each of his other pockets. "Damn, I left my phone in my office… Do you have yours?"

"I left mine at home," Aika told him. "Sorry."

He sighed heavily as Adachi came into the interrogation room, holding a plastic cup filled with water. "Here you go, Aika-chan! Hey, you're looking a lot better."

Still, Aika accepted the cup and sipped it slowly. Now that Uncle knew everything, he'd surely be able to help her. Everything was going to be okay – the case was going to be solved. "Adachi, wait here," Uncle instructed. "I'll be back in a bit. Aika, I want you to say everything you just told me again, so that I can record it."

Aika nodded firmly. "Okay." And with that, he was gone.

Adachi's eyes widened. "Wow, so I'm guessing things went well?" he asked.

"Yeah," Aika replied. "Um… should I tell you what I told my uncle?"

"Nah," Adachi said, smiling casually. "I'll just listen when you explain everything again."

And, all of a sudden, the TV whirred to life. Aika gasped as she backed away from it, squinting so that she could see the silhouette that appeared on the Midnight Channel – was it really that time already? The silhouette was small – it was a girl, wearing what appeared to be a dress, and her hair was in…

The girl's identity hit Aika like a punch in the stomach, and she covered her mouth, her eyes widening in horror. "Oh… my god…"

"Oh hey, so that Midnight Channel thing's legit, huh?" Adachi asked as he stepped toward the TV, leaning toward it so that his nose was almost touching the screen. "So Nanako-chan's my soulmate? That's weird…"

"Nanako… She…" Aika shook her head furiously to clear it. "Adachi-san, I need to borrow your phone." While she still didn't have Naoto's number memorized yet, she could remember Yosuke's at the top of her head, at least. She'd be able to convince him to listen – if Nanako's life was on the line, then he'd come for sure.

"Huh?" Adachi asked, whirling around. "Why?"

She stepped forward, and Adachi took a step back, towards the TV. "I need to—" And then she saw it – the TV screen shimmering, white waves swirling out to the edges of the screen from where Adachi's hand was partially submerged. Aika froze. "Y-You… You can do it too…"

"Huh?" Adachi said faintly. He turned to look at the TV, and then something changed in his eyes that filled Aika with a cold sense of dread as he quickly withdrew his hand from the TV. "Oh. That."

"B-But… _how_?"

Adachi smirked, but there was something deranged about it, and Aika couldn't shake off the feeling that she was in more danger now than she ever was back in the TV world, fighting Shadows. "How indeed?" he sneered.

He stepped toward Aika, and she kept moving backward until her back was up against the wall. "A-Adachi-san…"

His finger traced the edge of her jaw, and his hand finally settled under her chin, which he propped up so that she could look into his eyes. "Cute little Aika-chan… What am I going to do with you? When will you ever learn to mind your own business?"

Something clicked in her mind – and she wished it never had. "It was you," she whispered, mortified as everything she didn't understand about the case suddenly fell into place. "You were the one who sent those warning letters."

Adachi's smirk widened, and a shiver ran down her spine. "Oh yeah? Where's your proof?" She couldn't think of anything that would prove, beyond a shred of a doubt, that Adachi was the one who sent those warning letters – and yet, somehow, she could just _tell_ that it was him. Maybe it was his sudden change in demeanor. Maybe it was the way he was telling her to stay out of police business, so different from the way Uncle did. And he wasn't denying it either… But then he chuckled, putting his hands on her shoulders and pressing his forehead against hers. "Okay then," he said, and no matter how hard Aika tried to pull away, she couldn't because he was holding her too tightly. "I'll humor you, _Aika-chan_, since you can be annoyingly _persistent_. Yes, I sent those letters."

"S-So you're the one who murdered—"

"'Murdered' is such a _strong_ word, don't you think?" Adachi asked tauntingly. "It'd imply that they're my _victims_. I prefer the term _test subjects_." It was too much. Aika could feel her knees giving out under her, and it was only Adachi's hands on her shoulders, pressing her to the wall, that held her upright at all. "And do you know why I'm telling you this, Aika-chan?" He leaned in close, and whispered in her ear: "Because you won't remember _any of it_."

What happened next wasn't something she'd be able to recall years later, and really, her almost-murder wasn't something she'd _want_ to remember – but at the moment, all she knew was that she was falling, lower and lower and lower, as if the ground didn't exist. Maybe Adachi really did smirk cruelly down at her as she fell – or maybe it was something her mind had conjured later to fit in with the facts. But after a certain point, the real world and the TV world blended together, and everything turned black.

* * *

Chie sprinted to the Dojima residence, clutching her phone so tightly that she felt it might break if she held it any tighter. "Wasn't that Nanako-chan on the Midnight Channel just now?" she panted. "How could it be her?"

"I know what you're thinking," Naoto said, sounding panicked, "but Nanako-chan does fit the pattern. She wasn't seen… but she was heard."

"What?"

"Do you remember the politician who visited a local school and made the news several times? In those interviews, he always quoted a particular student he spoke with. The child became well known while remaining anonymous… That girl was Nanako-chan! A reporter who took interest in this released her photo and interview using her real name in today's evening paper."

"And everyone probably knew who she was already! Oh my god…"

"I should have realized it much sooner! I was so hung up on the idea of people who were 'shown' on TV… It didn't occur to me that this would qualify…"

"Wh-What are we going to do? Nanako-chan's home alone right now, isn't she?"

"I'm on my way there as we speak to check on her! Yosuke-senpai is heading to the police station! He said he called Kanji-kun too. They'll explain the situation there."

"All right. I'll join them right away! And I'll let Yukiko and Rise-chan know!"

"Yes, please do!"

"Aika!" Yosuke yelled as he ran through the police station's corridors. "Ai—" He ran straight into one tired-looking Ryotaro Dojima, and they both crashed to the ground.

"What the—what do you think you're doing here?" Dojima asked.

"Yosuke!" Teddie called from somewhere behind. "Wait up!"

"Missing?" Kanji yelled into the phone. "What the hell? Already?"

"Missing?" Dojima echoed. "Who? Who's missing?"

The three boys averted their eyes downward. "N-Nanako-chan…" Yosuke said quietly.

"Wha—" Dojima gasped. "Tatsumi, give me the goddamn phone!" Kanji handed it to him without protest. "Shirogane, you there? What the hell's going on?"

"I'm at your house right now," Yosuke heard Naoto say on the other line. "The front door's open and there's no one inside… I'm afraid that Nanako-chan has been kidnapped by our serial killer."

"Dojima-san!" Adachi came running from the opposite side of the hall. "Dojima-san! Dojima-san! Aika-chan's gone!"

It was heartbreaking, watching Aika's uncle just collapse to his knees at that. "Wh-What…?"

"Sh-She started watching that Midnight Channel thing…" Adachi explained. "A-And then Nanako-chan showed up, and she… Dojima-san, she _jumped into the TV_. I don't know how it happened, but… she did it." Something jolted in Yosuke's chest, and he couldn't say a word. What was Aika thinking…?

At that moment, Dojima looked so, so tired. "Both of them… They're… gone…?"

"Aika…" Yosuke whispered.

Kanji growled in frustration. "Yosuke-senpai, Dojima-san, snap out of it already! Aika-senpai and Nanako-chan need us!"

"You're right…" Dojima said as he stood up. He reached for the phone on the table in the interrogation room. "There's been a kidnapping!" he yelled into the phone. "Get your men on it immediately! Start with checkpoints along the highway!" He gave a brief pause, in which his expression turned absolutely livid. "Quit griping, and get to it! The victim's a seven-year-old girl… My daughter! This could be connected to that multiple murder case!" He slammed the phone down within a few seconds.

"Man…" Adachi muttered, exhaling sharply. "That was freaky, what Aika-chan did…"

"Damn it…" Dojima muttered.

"Dojima-san, Aika-chan will be fine," Teddie assured him. "She's really strong!"

Dojima looked to Yosuke. "You…" He sighed, putting one hand on the teenager's shoulder. "Make sure she comes home safe."

Yosuke nodded, despite his panic. "Y-Yes, sir."

"I'm gonna look for my daughter!" Dojima announced, slinging his jacket over his shoulder. "If this is connected to that murder case, the top brass won't accept the facts until it's too late. I don't have time to wait for those clowns!"

"But do you even have any ideas or leads on who took her?" Adachi tried reasoning with him. "If they used a car, there's no way—"

"Shut up! That's why I'm hurrying!" And with that, Dojima was gone.

Adachi sighed. "What am I gonna do? Dojima-san _and _Aika-chan ran off half-cocked…"

By now, Yosuke's nerves had calmed down considerably. "Adachi-san we'll go look for her, too! _And_ we'll find Aika."

At that moment, Chie, Naoto, Rise, and Yukiko finally reached them. "So what's going on?" Chie asked hurriedly.

"Hey, hey, hey, I don't think you all are allowed in here…" Adachi said.

"Quit your bitching!" Kanji yelled. "Now ain't the time for that shit! The hell are we sitting here when that whole family's in danger? You gonna own up when something happens? Huh?"

"Kanji-kun!" Naoto snapped.

"I know how you feel, but if you don't tell me what's going on, there's really nothing I can do…" Adachi said much too calmly.

"In any case, if we run out blindly, we'll have no idea where to begin," Naoto said. "Let's all take a moment to stop and sort out the situation. Perhaps this will help Adachi-san understand as well."

"All I know is that Aika-chan can go inside TVs…" Adachi mumbled. "And I'm guessing that you guys can, too."

"There's no doubt in my mind that this is a kidnapping by the same culprit who was behind the others," Naoto said. "Now, consider that the front door at Nanako-chan's house was open. I examined it, and found no trace that entry had been forced."

"You mean…" Chie gasped. "Nanako-chan opened the door herself?"

"Precisely. The culprit didn't sneak in – he came boldly up to the front door and pressed the doorbell."

"Like how it was for all of us…" Yukiko mused.

"U-Um…" Adachi mumbled. "'For all of us'…?"

"But the circumstances are different for her, as compared to us," Naoto continued. "Remember what Nanako-chan said when we were at the hot springs? 'I always do what my dad tells me, like not opening the door for strangers.'"

"So is the killer…" Teddie quipped. "… someone Nana-chan knows?"

Naoto sighed. "If only Aika-senpai were here…" She cleared her throat. "Yosuke-senpai, do you have any insight into this possibility?"

"Hm…" Yosuke mumbled. Aika didn't talk much about Nanako's school friends – to his knowledge, Aika hardly ever saw them to begin with. "Sorry. My mind's drawing a blank."

"I don't think we can limit ourselves to just people Nanako-chan knows," Chie pointed out.

"I agree…" Naoto said. "Then let us change our perspective slightly. We know for certain that the culprit must be using a large-screen TV."

"Huh?" Adachi piped up. "TV? What?"

"Each victim was taken at a different scene, yet was thrown into a TV almost immediately after being kidnapped," Naoto explained. "I would go as far as to say that it took place in front of their houses. Therefore, the culprit must be taking a TV with him as he goes."

"You think he's using a car?" Yosuke asked.

"Given the efficiency of the culprit's methods, I would assume a vehicle larger than a sedan," Naoto answered. "However… No unusual vehicles have been sighted. I'd expect someone to notice, since most of the victims vanished during the day."

"So it's someone Nanako-chan knows, who has a car…" Rise said slowly. "But it's a car that can't be seen?"

"I think we can rule out the possibility that no one happened to see the vehicle," Yukiko said. "Especially since it's happened so many times now."

"A car no one would notice…" Chie said slowly. "What could that be…?"

"Well maybe not a car that no one would notice," Yosuke said. "Maybe it's something that people normally wouldn't pay attention to? Like a taxi, or a bus, or…" His eyes widened as he realized the answer. "Or a delivery truck!"

"That's right…" Kanji muttered. "Now I remember… A delivery came! It was a delivery truck!"

"No one looks twice at a delivery truck, no matter where it's parked," Rise pointed out.

"And if it were a local company, it'd be the same deliveryman every time so he's not a 'stranger' to Nanako-chan," Naoto concluded. "She _must_ have received packages from him during the time she was home alone, meaning we wouldn't know his face… Adachi-san! Is there anyone who fits this profile?"

"A profile formed by a bunch of kids talking it over?" the detective deadpanned. "Let's see… A delivery company, huh? I dunno, take it from a detective… I think this is gonna be… a lot more difficult than…" He looked down at some papers discarded on the floor – Yosuke remembered that Dojima was carrying them before. "Hey! Maybe you're not too far off base… Dojima-san put this stuff together to reinvestigate the first case – you know, that announcer lady's? And there's a deliveryman mentioned right here… I better go tell Dojima-san!" And then, he ran towards the end of the hall.

Naoto bent down to pick up one of the papers. "After resigning from his last job, he took up the family delivery business… Before that, he was… a council secretary! Taro Namatame!"

"The enka singer's husband!" Yosuke interjected.

"All we know about him is his occupation," Naoto reminded everyone, "but I'd say that's enough of a lead to tell us where to go next. The address is… It's not far from here!"

"Then let's go already!" Kanji yelled.

"Wait, but Aika—" Yosuke protested.

"She'll be fine, Yosuke-senpai," Naoto assured him. "Even if she doesn't have her glasses, she still has her Persona… multiple Personae, at that. If there's one thing we can be sure of, it's that she will be able to survive on her own in that world, at least for a short while. Now let's go."

* * *

They found Adachi crouching by a collapsed Dojima, half under the ruins of a quite literally smoking car. "Dojima-san! Are you all right?"

"A-Aika and Nanako…" he grunted, his eyes refusing to focus. "Where are they…?"

Naoto was already on her cellphone. "Hello? We need an ambulance, quickly! There's been an accident! One adult male is injured."

"That's right," Adachi said. "I should call backup, too! We gotta find Namatame!"

Dojima was panting now as he struggled to stay conscious. "Aika… Nanako…"

The rest of the group finally reached them at that point. "What happened?" Chie gasped loudly.

"… was on my way to Namatame's house…" Dojima muttered. "… when I saw him… drive past me… I… I gave chase… and he… dammit… Where's Aika and Nanako…? And Namatame…? Find them… please!"

"Let's check the truck," Yukiko suggested. "There must be some clues in there."

"Wait, you can't!" Adachi warned them. "We need to preserve the scene!"

"Then allow me," Naoto said, stepping forward. "If it rains again while we wait, the information we need will be lost regardless." With Kanji's help, she opened the back side of the delivery truck, and, sure enough…

"Look!" Chie exclaimed. "There really is a TV in there!"

"Yes, large enough for persons of any size to fit through," Naoto observed.

Rise ran toward them, waving a brown leather book in the air. "This was in the driver's seat!" she announced.

Naoto opened the book and began reading. "'I learned of the existence of a new world. Thus, I must save people…'"

"'Save'?" Kanji echoed. "The hell's he mean by that?"

Naoto flipped to the next page and gasped. "This… It's a list of the victims' home addresses! Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi…" She flipped to the next page. "Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa… Even the victims who survived and were never released to the public are written here! I note that Mr. Morooka's address is absent from the list."

"Wow…" Adachi gasped. "Then that settles it."

Naoto flipped to the next page. "The last date is today's," she said. "'I can't believe such a small child appeared on it. I must save this child, no matter what.'"

"Is that…?" Chie whispered. "About Nanako-chan?"

Naoto's eyes widened as she continued to read: "… 'especially since the child is Aika-san's younger sister'…"

"Wh-What the…?" Yosuke mumbled. "Don't tell me Aika had one of those Social Link things with this guy too…"

"'I managed to take her to safety,'" Naoto continued to read. "'The police have been active lately. This will probably be the last time I write in this diary. I've done everything I can.'"

Yosuke clenched his fists in frustration. "It's clear now… He used the same trick on all the victims. He'd just ring the bell, like he was making a normal delivery, then throw the victim into the TV in his truck… Namatame's the killer!"

"We need to go save Nanako-chan!" Chie interjected. "Here, let's use this TV and—"

"W-Wait a sec!" Teddie protested. "We don't know where we'll enter through this one! What if we end up somewhere dangerous? And Aika-chan's probably lost too…"

"It doesn't look like it's going to be foggy tomorrow," Rise told them. "We'll just go in tomorrow, the same way as usual!"

"But—" Kanji protested.

"If we fail, who's going to save Nanako-chan?" Rise shot back.

"A-And Aika-chan could be lost forever without our help!" Teddie added.

"We'll leave Namatame's whereabouts to the police," Naoto said with a sigh. "As for Nanako-chan and Aika-senpai… Perhaps Nanako-chan should be our top priority for now. At least we know for a fact that Aika-senpai can take care of herself for the time being." And at long last, they could finally hear sirens echoing in the rain.

* * *

"Something's weird in here…" Teddie observed as soon as they all landed in the TV world the next day. "I think all the commotion in town about the fog has been affecting this world, too."

"We need to hurry," Yosuke said. "Rise, can you both try and find Aika and Nanako-chan?"

"Both of them?" Naoto asked. "But Senpai—"

"I know we're going after Nanako-chan first, damn it!" Yosuke suddenly exploded. "I just want to know if Aika's okay!"

"Yosuke-senpai…" Rise said quietly. She exhaled sharply. "Okay, so we're looking for Aika-senpai and Nanako-chan, right? Both of them should be easy to find, since we know both of them really well." And at that, Rise summoned her Persona. "I sense Nanako-chan…" She pointed to her left. "That way. And Aika-senpai…" She paused for a few seconds before gasping. "No…"

"What?" Yosuke demanded, sounding panicked. "What's wrong?"

"Senpai, she's… I-It's like how it is with Nanako-chan, except she's somewhere else! N-Not just Nanako-chan too… It's like Naoto-kun, and that Mitsuo guy too!"

"We should split up," Yosuke said urgently. "Half of us will go after Nanako-chan, and the rest will go after Aika."

"No, we can't!" Chie yelled. "We've never separated like this before except for training! We can't take any chances with _either_ of them, Yosuke!"

"So you're saying we should just _abandon_ Aika—"

"We won't be abandoning her!" Chie yelled. "It's not going to be foggy for another few days, at least! We have until then to save Aika too! And we don't even know if she needs to be saved!"

"Yosuke-senpai, please calm down," Naoto said. "Aika-senpai will be _fine_ – I'm sure of it. It's because she's familiar with this world, and she knows how to survive here. Nanako-chan doesn't, so, by default, we _have_ to rescue her first."

Yosuke sighed. "All right… Let's just hurry."

* * *

When consciousness finally returned to Aika, all she could see was fog. And it was so thick and oppressive that she felt sluggish and tired and ill, much like how she did when she first entered the TV world. Still, she managed to stand up and walk around a bit, though she knew she wasn't going to get anywhere – she didn't know where she was to begin with.

"Oh, that's right!" she said to herself. "I should…" Then, something slowly occurred to her. "Wait… How did I even get in here…?" She paced back and forth, running the events immediately preceding the time she came into the TV world. _I got the warning letter, and Uncle saw… so he brought me down to the police station because he was worried… And then I told him everything, and then Nanako appeared on the Midnight Channel… _She stopped. _Did I… jump in after her? No, that can't be it, I wouldn't… _But her mind hit a wall right then and there. _Did I…?_

Her head started to throb the more she thought about it, so she decided to think about something else – anything but how she ended up in the TV world… but then her mind invariably drifted back to the previous events of that day – her mother calling her and promptly telling her that she'd have to leave Inaba at the end of the school term, her friends finding out about the Social Links…

_"I can't believe you're being so selfish about this, Aika."_

_ "So you just hung around us so you could get more powerful, huh?"_

And then, the last voice Aika thought she'd hear resonated in her mind – Aoandon's.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…_

There was a shrill ringing in her ears, and she was suddenly afflicted with a splitting headache.

_Thou art I… and I am thou…_

What was Aoandon doing? Aika had already awakened her months ago, so why was she giving her trouble _now_?

_Thou art I and I am thou thou art I and I am thou thou art I and I am thou thou art I and I am thou thou art I and I am thou…_

And then all Aika could see, think, _feel_ was Aoandon's voice in her mind, getting louder and louder, reaching a point where her Persona was practically screaming. The ringing in her ears made it impossible to hear anything else, and her head burned with searing, gradually intensifying pain.

Then, all of a sudden, it was over. The ringing in her ears disappeared, her headache was gone, and the only evidence of Aoandon's strange behavior was the shaking in her limbs and the near crippling dizziness and weakness she felt. But something was wrong – she could feel it. "Well, isn't this sad?" The voice that Aika somehow managed to hear while struggling to remain conscious sounded a lot like her own, but it was distorted, somehow. "I mean, you've always been honest with yourself, right? And yet, here I am."

She could see a silhouette approaching her in the fog. It was a Shadow for sure – its eyes were glowing yellow – and it walked toward her with slow, purposeful steps. But when Aika could finally see the Shadow's face, she mentally kicked herself and simultaneously wanted to die, because the Shadow's face was her own. "N-No way…"

The Shadow smirked almost tauntingly. "What's wrong? You didn't think you were so perfect that you'd _never_ have a Shadow, right?" The Shadow reached behind Aika and somehow managed to grab onto the Wild Card, which it was now waving in the air infuriatingly. "This is the source of all your problems, right?"

"Wh-What are you doing?" Aika shrieked as the Shadow proceeded to rip the Wild Card to shreds. And the worst part was that she felt _relieved_ now that it was gone.

"What? I thought you _wanted_ this."

Aika squeezed her eyes shut and put her head in her hands. This was her Shadow for sure, so… "You're me, and I'm you. You're me and I'm you. You're me, and I'm you…"

The Shadow waved its finger infuriatingly, smirking. "Ah-ah-ah, now that's not going to work…" It crouched before Aika and wrapped its arms around her, hugging her tightly, almost suffocatingly so. And it leaned in close and whispered in her ear: "You have to _mean_ it…"

* * *

The group paused by two ornate gates inside Nanako's heavenly, yet too quiet dungeon. "No…" Rise said. "Something's not right… There's someone else here!"

"Could it be Namatame?" Yosuke asked.

"Wait a minute," Yukiko said. "Could he have come in here after being cornered like Mitsuo?"

"It's certainly possible," Naoto answered. "Perhaps by a TV near the scene of the accident, or by the one in his truck. Regardless, Nanako-chan is in grave danger! We must hurry!"

"Say…" Yosuke said slowly. "Uh… Rise, is Aika…?"

"She's not here, Yosuke-senpai," Rise said sadly. "She's… Well, I can't tell where exactly she is right now, since I'm not looking specifically for her, but…"

"No…" Yosuke said. "We'll save her after we save Nanako-chan. So let's just go." He opened the gates and ran forward, and, sure enough, at the top of a flight of stairs was both Namatame and Nanako. Namatame had his arm wrapped tightly around Nanako so that she couldn't move, and Yosuke didn't miss the way Nanako scanned the crowd, looking for her sister.

"Y-You mustn't go!" Namatame stammered. "I'm going to save this girl…"

"Taro Namatame…" Naoto said quietly. "It's definitely him! Then he _did_ come in here…"

"So _you're_ the killer…" Yosuke whispered.

"Let go of her!" Yukiko yelled.

Namatame chuckled. "You're the ones I saved… Don't worry… I'll save this girl too…"

"Huh?" Kanji mumbled. "Is this dude high or something? Quit talking shit and let go of the girl!"

Namatame took a step back as Kanji charged toward him. "D-Don't come near me… This is what Aika-san would want. Her sister's life was in danger, so I'm going to save her!"

Nanako whimpered in me. "Big… Sis?"

"Nanako-chan!" Chie yelled.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kanji roared. "You think Aika would want _this_?"

"Calm down, Kanji-kun," Naoto said calmly. "We can't predict his behavior! We have to keep him talking. If we can discern his intentions, perhaps we can somehow deal with him."

"Allow me," Yukiko said. "Namatame-san, why are you doing this?"

"To save them…" Namatame whispered, his eyes growing wide.

"Okay, then what exactly is the Midnight Channel?" Chie asked, stepping forward.

"People needing to be saved appear…" Namatame whispered. "That's why I put them in the TV… Th-Then Aika-san's sister came on, so I _had_ to save her…"

"Shut the hell up!" Yosuke yelled. "Let her go!"

"No!" Naoto snapped. "We must pull his attention away from Nanako-chan!" She cleared her throat. "So you admit that you put the people you saw on the Midnight Channel into this world."

"They all…" Namatame said faintly. "… want to be saved…"

"Did _I_ ever ask you to save me?" Rise demanded.

"And you didn't save us, dammit!" Kanji yelled. "It was the exact opposite!"

"If I hadn't put you in the TV…" Namatame said quietly. "… how would you have ended up…?"

"How would we…?" Yukiko echoed.

"Are you trying to say we wouldn't have been able to face ourselves?" Rise asked.

"What?" Yukiko shrieked. "But we nearly died!"

"Yes…" Namatame said. "Exactly…"

Yosuke clenched his fists, his expression so absolutely furious that it put Dojima's worst to shame. "You kidnapped them… Yes or no?"

"Yes…" Namatame answered.

"Why did you target local residents who became known through the media?" Naoto asked. "Why do these people appear on the Midnight Channel?"

"On rainy nights…" Namatame mumbled. "… on TV… they signal me… to save them…"

"You keep saying save this and save that…" Yosuke said exasperatedly. "Are you saying murdering people is your idea of saving them?"

"Murder…?" Namatame echoed faintly. "No… I'm saving them…"

"How's that different, huh?" Yosuke exploded. "All you're doing is killing people!"

Namatame laughed bitterly. "If you want to think that, go ahead… I know… You chased us all the way here to kill…" He laughed again, sounding more deranged. "Too bad… I'm… gonna save her…" At that, Nanako whimpered.

"You asshole!" Kanji yelled. "You're not gonna get away with this!"

"Shut the hell up!" Namatame yelled back. And then, a dark aura surrounded his body, and his eyes started glowing yellow. "What a wonderful world…" he said, his voice sounding distorted. "An unknown, unreachable places… filled with pleasant fog… I'm a savior… It's filthy over there… So many evildoers… That's why I'm going to save them! I'm a savior! A righteous hero!"

Nanako coughed and wheezed weakly. "I can't… breathe… Big Sis…"

"That does it!" Yosuke yelled. "C'mon, Kanji!" They both charged toward Namatame, who promptly dropped Nanako as they approached him.

"Nana-chan!" Teddie yelled as he caught the small girl before she could fall.

"Nanako-chan?" Yukiko said, shaking Nanako's shoulder, but the girl was completely unconscious. "Nanako-chan!"

"Bastard…!" Chie snarled. "How dare you!"

"Give…" Namatame said in a low, dangerous voice. "Her. Back! I'm… I'm going to save her!" Darkness swirled around him, as more and more Shadows attached themselves to him. And, at long last, a large figure loomed before them – a figure with black skin and white robes, and something red and circular orbiting its head. "I… I'm going to save her! Don't interfere!"

"How solid is his grasp on reality?" Naoto asked.

And at that, Yosuke brandished his swords and charged forward.

* * *

"You're me…" Aika said for the umpteenth time that day. "… and I'm you…"

"How many times do I have to tell you?" her Shadow asked tauntingly. "That's not going to work."

Aika was completely exhausted. She felt sick to her stomach, and her head was throbbing so badly that she thought it was going to explode. And having her Shadow there with her just made everything so much worse. "But you're not going berserk, so I guess it's doing _something_."

The Shadow shrugged. "Touché."

Aika drew her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms. "Just leave me alone already!"

"Come on…" the Shadow said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You of all people should know that it doesn't work that way."

Aika just groaned at that.

* * *

The group waited at the hospital, outside Nanako's room. The battle against Namatame was successful, and both he and Nanako had been brought safely back into the real world – only Nanako wasn't waking up. "Nana-chan's so small…" Teddie said quietly. "So her other self didn't appear like everyone else… And she got caught in all that craziness… I hope she'll be okay…"

"Are the doctors going to be able to help her?" Yosuke asked from his chair, his head bent low.

Teddie wailed. "I'm worried about Nana-chan!"

"But there's nothing more we can do for her," Chie pointed out.

"A deliveryman named Namatame…" Naoto mused. "The possibility of Nanako-chan being targeted… If only I'd been more thorough in putting the facts together! Then Nanako-chan wouldn't have had to go through this…"

"That goes for me too," Yosuke said sadly. "If I hadn't stood there like a lump in front of that bastard, Nanako-chan might've been okay…" He leaned his head back until it hit the wall behind him. "And Aika's still missing…"

"I hate myself…" Chie grumbled. "Why do I always panic when it matters most?"

"I should've noticed sooner that something was wrong with that guy," Rise lamented.

Naoto slammed her head against the wall. "Why did I waste time listening to what Namatame had to say? If I hadn't tried to engage him in conversation, and we'd rescued Nanako-chan immediately… This wouldn't have happened!"

Kanji exhaled sharply. "All right! Enough with this pity party. Is standing around and whining really what we oughtta be doing now? Feeling pathetic, consoling each other… That gonna solve anything? We gotta believe in her! So stop rehashing what's already done! Get it together, Naoto!"

"Sorry…" Naoto said quietly. "You're absolutely right."

"This is all that bastard Namatame's fault, and he's behind bars, right?" Kanji asked. "And it ain't like we were too late for Nanako-chan."

"Yeah, that's true," Yukiko conceded.

"I'll come see Nana-chan every day so she'll get better faster!" Teddie announced.

"We have to go back in there tomorrow and look for Aika-senpai," Rise said. "We've done all we can for Nanako-chan… Aika-senpai needs us right now!"

"Huh?" a new voice said. "You guys still here?" Adachi stood before them, looking tired.

"Adachi-san…" Yukiko said. "Um… Did they find out anything?"

Adachi shook his head sadly. "Dojima-san's speaking with the doctor right now, but they can't say anything definite until they run some tests on her. Not just Nanako-chan, but the perp, too… Who knows when we'll be able to hear his story?" He sighed. "And he's still tearing his hear out over Aika-chan, too… Well… It's getting late, so hurry home. The last thing we need is for you guys to collapse too." And with that, Adachi walked away.

"We're going back tomorrow, right?" Yosuke asked.

"Yes, of course," Yukiko replied.

"Wow, Yosuke," Chie teased, poking him in the arm. "I didn't have you pegged for a _worrier_, of all things. Aika really made you all fluffy and cuddly on the inside, didn't she?"

Yosuke simply raised his eyebrows, but he let out a quiet laugh nonetheless.

* * *

The group unanimously decided to skip school the next day, and they headed into the TV world first thing in the morning. "All right…" Rise said. "Aika-senpai's…" She pointed straight forward. "That way. And she's definitely alone. But…"

"But?" Yosuke repeated.

"Something's not right…" Rise frowned. "Not like how it was for Nanako-chan, but… more like how it was for Naoto-kun and Mitsuo."

"Wait, does that mean…?" Chie gasped.

"Come on!" Yosuke yelled. "We have to hurry!" They ran in the direction where Rise pointed, not stopping until they reached what appeared to be a train station.

"Oh my god…" Yukiko whispered. "So this is Aika's…"

"Is this the train station?" Chie asked looking around. "It looks like the one in Inaba…"

"This is definitely the one in Inaba, without a doubt," Naoto confirmed. "But why would Aika-senpai…?"

"Did anyone check the Midnight Channel last night?" Rise asked.

"How could we?" Chie asked. "We were in the hospital with Nanako-chan 'till almost one!" And then, voices started echoing through the station.

"I can't believe you're being so selfish about this, Aika."

"So you just hung around us so you could get more powerful, huh?"

"Wh-What the—" Kanji gasped. "Was that… me?"

"It _sounded_ like you," Chie said. "But who was that other one? That woman?"

A man's voice echoed: "How many times do I have to tell you, Aika? I can't just take off work whenever I want! Yes, she's my sister, but I don't have a choice! I can't believe you're being so selfish about this!"

The answer came to Yosuke quickly, even though he hadn't met Fuuji and Masami Nakamura once. "… Her parents…" he whispered.

"Huh… So you're really choosing that shithole over your own parents."

"It's a very simple question. What. Are. Social Links?"

"Ryo-chan will be fine! He has Nana-chan with him, so he won't be _completely_ alone!"

"Tell us the truth!"

And, at the end, Aika's voice came, small and quiet and weak. "I wish everything would just disappear…"

"This…" Rise mumbled. "These are Aika-senpai's feelings… aren't they?"

"W-Wait!" Teddie yelped. "I-If you can sense Aika-chan's feelings, then that means…!"

"Come on!" Yosuke yelled as he ran forward. And, for a while, the group just kept running, never stopping until they finally reached an empty clearing. Aika lay crumpled on the ground, her eyes only partially open. "Aika!" Yosuke crouched down before her, picking her up off the ground and shaking her so that she'd wake up.

At long last, her eyes focused, and she blinked several times. "Y-Yosuke…?"

"Are you okay?" he asked her concernedly.

"N-No…" Aika mumbled. "Y-You have to leave… Th-There's…"

"About time you guys finally showed up." A figure identical to Aika, wearing the Yasogami High School uniform, walked forward, smirking. "I was getting bored."

"What the—" Kanji muttered. "No way… Senpai can't have a Shadow! She already has a Persona!"

"Oh?" the Shadow said tauntingly. "Is that so…?"

Aika groaned in pain, and Yosuke's grip on her body tightened. "How do you even exist?"

"Oh, I don't know," the Shadow said fleetingly as it paced around the group. "Maybe something came up that she tried to hide? Maybe she got so stressed out that she lost control of me? Something like that, I guess."

"S-Stop it…" Aika mumbled. Using Yosuke for support, she managed to get up onto her knees, and she glared at her Shadow. "Leave them alone…"

"Yeah, but that's not what _you_ want, isn't it?" her Shadow taunted her. "I mean, you dealt with all of _their_ Shadows, so it's only fair that they deal with _yours_ too."

"Wh-Why are you even here…?" Aika whispered, struggling to stand up. "I'm not trying to hide anything!"

"Oh, you're _so_ lucky I'm not going crazy right now," the Shadow retorted. "Come on. Think. You _are_ hiding something, and you hid it so well that even _you_ aren't aware of it."

"I'm… hiding something…?"

"Why doesn't anybody care about what _I_ want?" her Shadow ranted. "Mom never did – all _she_ cares about is her stupid _job_, and staying as far away from Inaba as possible. Who cares if _I_ love it here? Who cares if I actually took what Mom said at the beginning of the year seriously, that I can stay here now that I finally settled down here?"

"N-No, that's not—"

"And Dad! He's such a doormat! Why can't he stand up to Mom, huh? I know _he_ doesn't like moving around so much! And Uncle can't stand up to Mom, either. Because she's his psycho sister, remember?"

"Aika…" Yukiko said quietly.

"And that stupid Wild Card!" the Shadow ranted. "I never _asked_ for it, okay? So just shut up and leave me alone!"

"S-Senpai, we never meant to…" Naoto said shakily.

"Why is everyone in my life such a useless piece of shit?"

"Stop it!" Aika shrieked. "Don't… Don't talk to them like that!"

"Why? It's what _you_ want to say, isn't it?"

"No, it's not!"

"I mean, that's what _I_ want to say, and I'm you."

"Sh-Shut up!" Aika screeched. "I'd never say something like that, and you're not me!" She didn't realize her mistake until several seconds later, when Shadows started swirling into her own. It felt like something was being ripped out from inside her, and she collapsed to her knees. "No… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"I am a Shadow… the true self…"

"It's okay," Yosuke said calmly, his hands around her shoulders. "We'll handle this. Just take it easy."

And, all too quickly, the battle was over, and Aika's Shadow had reverted back to its initial form. "Aika, are you okay?" Chie yelled.

Aika's head felt so, so heavy, and yet her body felt light as a feather. Still… "I-I'm okay…" Leaning heavily against Chie, she stood up shakily, her knees threatening to give out under her.

"Senpai, what were you thinking?" Naoto asked. "Diving straight into the TV after seeing Nanako-chan on the Midnight Channel was foolhardy and reckless."

"I didn't dive in after her," Aika said. "… did I? I… I don't remember…" But now, more than anything, Aika felt calm as she broke away from Chie and staggered toward her Shadow. "I'm sorry. You were right – I _have_ been angry with everything that's been happening… and I tried to keep it all inside because it's just easier to hide my feelings… but… That's not really a good way to live, is it? What's the point in being honest with myself if I can't be honest with my friends and family?" She took a deep breath and turned around to face her friends. "My mom called me earlier… She said she and my dad were coming back from France early, and that we'd be moving to Mikage-cho at the start of the next school term."

"Say _what_?" Kanji spluttered.

"I don't want to move again," Aika said. "I want to stay _here_, in Inaba. I told my mom that, but she said I was just being selfish… and I hate her for it. And… I'll tell you all about the Wild Card and the Velvet Room later. That'll take a while to explain." She faced her Shadow once more. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I don't think I would've been able to open up to them like that." Her Shadow nodded once, and a Persona appeared in its place – but it wasn't Aoandon. A light, airy, yet warm voice echoed in her mind – and there was no crippling headache accompanying it.

_Thou art I… and I am thou. Your bright light shines even on the darkest night… I shall be your strength. I am Kaguya… May your light never fade…_

Warmth bloomed in Aika's chest as Kaguya disappeared into a single card. When Aika saw it, she noticed that the number on the card was different – XX instead of IX. "Thank you, Kaguya…" All at once, strength left her body, and she collapsed to her knees. Her friends rushed up to her, all with concerned looks on their faces. "I'm sorry I lied to you…"

"We're not mad," Rise told her with a giggle. "We never were – at least _I_ wasn't."

"If we _were_ mad, it was more because you didn't trust us enough to tell us," Chie said. "Not because of the weird conditions on that power of yours – you can't control any of that, right?" Aika simply shook her head.

Before Aika could process what was happening, Yosuke's arms were around her, and he hugged her tightly. "Don't _ever_ do that again," Yosuke said. "Jumping in after Nanako… What were you thinking?"

Aika gasped as reality suddenly came back into focus. "Nanako! Where is she? Is she okay?"

"We saved her yesterday," Naoto told her calmly. "However… the fog seems to have had an adverse effect on her body. She is currently recuperating in the hospital."

It was as if a huge weight was lifted from Aika's shoulders. "But she's safe, right?"

Naoto nodded. "For the time being."

Aika smiled. "Thank you… Thank you so much…" Her body teetered, and she almost fell forward.

"We need to get Aika-chan out of here!" Teddie said. "Yosuke—"

"I'm on it," Yosuke said as he lifted her onto his back. Aika wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder because it felt so heavy. "Let's go."

* * *

No matter how heavily Aika breathed, she couldn't seem to get enough air. Her whole body felt weak, and she felt exhausted and ill. "Hey, are you okay?" Yosuke asked concernedly. "Aika!"

"Damn it, not again!" Kanji yelled. "First with Naoto, then with Aika-senpai… What is it with you people?"

"I-I'm okay…" Aika somehow managed to say.

"No, you're not," Chie deadpanned.

"Wait, she's going to be all alone, isn't she?" Yukiko asked.

"She can stay with me until she feels better," Naoto said simply.

"N-No, it's okay…" Aika mumbled. "I-I know Uncle doesn't come home until really late, usually, b-but…"

Everyone in the group exchanged anxious looks. "Um…" Rise said slowly. "Senpai… Your uncle's in the hospital too. He got into a really bad car accident while trying to chase down Namatame, and—"

"Uncle…" Aika whispered. "A-And… Namatame-san?"

"Oh right…" Chie mumbled. "We still need to tell her everything that happened…"

"Can you walk?" Naoto asked Aika.

"Sure, I can—" But when she tried to stand up, she just collapsed again.

Yosuke sighed. "I'll come too," he said. "See you guys tomorrow." And, for a long while, he and Naoto walked, with Aika on his back.

At long last, they reached an apartment, which Naoto unlocked with a key. "Please excuse the mess," she said, though apart from a few papers and articles of clothing left here and there, the apartment wasn't messy at all. Naoto unrolled a futon, and Yosuke laid Aika down on it – Aika was fast asleep before her head even hit the futon. "Yosuke-senpai… do you know how to get in touch with her parents? I have no doubts that Adachi-san told them about what has transpired here. We should tell them that their daughter is safe and sound."

"I don't know…" Yosuke said slowly. "We can ask Dojima-san later."

Naoto nodded. "Right." She sighed. "I may take off the next few days from school, depending on how long it takes for Aika-senpai to wake up. I know _I_ couldn't awaken until almost a whole day after my kidnapping."

"Yeah, and her Shadow wasn't exactly normal either," Yosuke pointed out.

"She'll be safe here, Senpai," Naoto told him. "You can relax now."

Yosuke exhaled sharply. "Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I'm still so tense."

Naoto smiled at him. "These past few days have been very stressful for all of us, and on top of that, someone you love was in a dangerous position beyond her control. It's only natural to worry."

"Yeah…" Yosuke said slowly. "Thanks, Naoto. Let me know if anything happens, okay?"

Naoto nodded. "I will."

* * *

**Cosplay Pageant**

Aika: Garnet Til Alexandros XVII (Final Fantasy IX)  
Yosuke: Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy VIII)  
Chie: Yuffie Kisaragi (Final Fantasy VII)  
Yukiko: Hinata Hyuuga (Naruto)  
Kanji: Kisame Hoshigaki (Naruto)  
Rise: Madoka Kaname (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)  
Naoto: Sayaka Miki (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

* * *

_So… longer chapter than the past few, but it's mostly plot-relevant stuff. So… shit happened. _

_According to the Malevolent Entity in Persona 4 Arena, a Persona will revert into a Shadow if its user experiences extreme psychological stress – even worse if the user denies his/her Shadow. So Aika kind of got put through the wringer in this chapter, which brought out her Shadow, and, as a result, she can't use the Wild Card anymore. Her deal was that she was so angry and upset and stressed out about everything, much like Saki Konishi, that her Shadow manifested. Also, some facts about her Shadow that didn't make it onto the page: it excels in Light, Dark, and Almighty spells, as well as status debuffs. It's annoying in the sense that it has a higher chance of insta-killing you than Aoandon does of killing Shadows with Hama, Mudo, and the like. But, much like Aoandon and Aika herself, its physical stats are low, so you'd be using Chie and Kanji like crazy in this fight, however, because its evasion is slightly above average, you'll be missing a lot._

_So, in place of the Wild Card, Aika got her Ultimate Persona, Kaguya. Yes, I'm perfectly aware that Kaguya is a Persona you can fuse and summon in Golden, and this story's version is similar, but different. Like the original Kaguya, it can learn a couple healing spells (Mediarahan, Amrita) and a couple Light-based spells (Hamaon and Mahamaon). She also has ONE status debuff, Delibitate, and one status buff, Heat Riser. Then she has Morning Star and one passive skill, Spell Master (which halves the amount of SP required for all spells). However, Kaguya's more susceptible to physical damage because, while her defenses are slightly higher than Aoandon's, her speed/evasion rates are significantly lower. Also, Kaguya is of the Judgment Arcanum instead of the Hermit. It's definitely possible for characters to change Arcana – Reiji Kido in Persona 1 went from Devil to Death, Kei Nanjo from the same game went from Hierophant to Judgment, and… you get the idea._

_And I know Aika was really irrational in this chapter, regarding her friends' reactions to the Social Links. But think about it - these are the first friends she's had in a really long time. She thinks that, at the slightest mistake, they'll leave her, just like that, and that TERRIFIES her, more than anything. So when she runs away from them, it's because she doesn't want to hear them reject her, and she doesn't want to deal with that at the moment, even though... they really aren't going to reject her anyway._

_And why a cosplay pageant instead of a beauty pageant like in the game? Really, the only reason is that it would be too unbalanced – too many girls and too few guys. So everyone participates in the same pageant (which Naoto won). How I picked who each character was going to cosplay… basically, it started with Naoto, when I thought it would interesting to see her dressed up as Sayaka Miki. Then I thought: "Hey, if Naoto can be Sayaka, then Rise can totally be Madoka too! She even looks like her!" And then I ran through a bunch of somewhat well-known animes and games in my head and finally came up with the rest. Speaking of which, Naoto is _really_ proactive in following what her Shadow tried to get her to do, hence why she ends up combining the boys' and girls' uniforms. I always thought Naoto hiding her gender was more like how Mulan hid her gender when she joined the army, rather than actually being a transgender._

_Just so you know, there will probably be only about two more chapters left in this. WE'RE ALMOST THERE, YOU GUYS, SO KEEP READING AND REVIEWING. Thank you :]_


	9. Chapter 9

Aika remembered the few days after being saved only in flashes. She remembered waking up at home, which was strange, because she could _swear_ that Yosuke had brought her to Naoto's apartment. She remembered being so completely exhausted and disoriented that she couldn't even move, let alone get out of bed, and she remembered being terrified that she might actually be alone. The next thing she remembered was her mother holding her up because she couldn't sit up on her own and her father feeding her something soft and somewhat bland. This was the second abnormality that she didn't quite register at first, but came to recognize later.

And then, five days after being saved from her own Shadow, Aika finally felt well enough to get out of bed, though she still felt sluggish and ill. She took a shower to wash off nearly a week's worth of dirt, brushing her hair for longer than necessary because it gave her an excuse to hide from her parents (who were in _Inaba_, and when did they get here?) for just a little longer (her hair now fell past her shoulders, she noted). And finally, she dragged her feet downstairs, where both her parents lounged on the couch, her father's arm draped around her mother as they both watched TV. It was so surreal, having them back, having them _here_, in _Inaba_, that she almost didn't think about how wrong everything was now that Uncle and Nanako were _not_ here.

Dad saw her first, and Aika could see tears in his eyes before he trapped her in a nearly suffocating hug. "Oh, Aika… Thank god…"

And, as soon as Dad released her, Mom rushed over and hugged her even more tightly. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…" her mother said over and over again.

Aika stiffened as both her parents hugged her. She wasn't done with her work – she couldn't move to Mikage-cho just yet. "What are you doing here?" she asked, and her voice came out so weakly that Aika mentally kicked herself for being stupid enough to get trapped in the TV world in the first place.

"Oh, no particular reason," Masami said sarcastically. "Only that we got a fucking phone call from your uncle's partner saying that _Ryo-chan is in the hospital and you and Nana-chan went missing_!"

… Well, that made sense. "I'm sorry," Aika said.

"Aika, did you run away?" Dad asked her, putting his hands on her shoulders and crouching down so that he was at eye-level with her. "Is that why you were reported missing?"

Aika looked away. "I… I don't know…"

"How can you not know?" Mom demanded. "You were—"

"Masami, it's _worse_ if she doesn't know," Dad pointed out. "That might mean it wasn't actually under her control."

"Wait, like someone kidnapped her or something?"

"I'm not saying it was a kidnapping, but…"

Mom held one hand in the air. "Hold up. Aika, you need to call your friends."

"H-Huh…?" Aika mumbled. "I can just do it later…"

"Nope!" both her parents said simultaneously. "They've been coming over every day to see how you were doing," Dad continued. "You don't have to invite them over or anything – just let them know that you're doing better now."

But, as it turned out, Aika didn't have to do anything of that sort, for the doorbell rang right then and there. "That should be them," Mom said as she practically skipped over to the door. "I wonder who it is this time…" Aika heard the front door open, and her mother gave a squeal of delight. "It's the whole shebang! Come on in! She's up and awake and almost totally fine!"

Then, it was like a stampede. All of a sudden, everyone was on Aika, hugging her. It couldn't even be called a group hug, really, because it was so disorganized and disorderly. Yosuke was hugging her tightly to his chest, Rise was hugging her (and Yosuke) from the back, Chie, Yukiko, and Teddie had piled on at some point, and Kanji was on the outskirts, essentially hugging the entire group. Everyone was yelling and Rise was crying, and Yosuke flat out refused to let go of her, and Aika's head was pounding because she still couldn't understand what exactly was going on.

"Everyone, give her some space," Naoto said loudly and firmly. And then everyone slowly drew away, though Yosuke was still hugging Aika to his side in the end. "How are you feeling, Senpai?"

"My head hurts…" Aika mumbled weakly. "I don't know what's going on…"

Naoto gave the faintest of smiles. "Understandable."

"Nakamura-san, is it okay if we go out for a bit?" Yukiko asked.

"Sure!" Mom replied, clapping her hands together. "Just have her back at a decent time, okay?"

* * *

"You should tell your parents," Naoto said. "Just as you told Dojima-san. And I have a feeling that they'll believe you too."

"The thing is, it's so outrageous and specific that it _has_ to be true," Chie added. "We couldn't make something like that up, even if we tried."

As they neared the Samegawa River, Aika pulled her sweater tightly closed as she shivered. All that was left of spending two days in the TV world without her glasses and five days in bed was her still shaking legs and an annoying sense of vertigo and lightheadedness that just wouldn't go away no matter what she did. And now that she'd been out and about for a substantial amount of time, she felt absolutely awful. "Can we stop for a minute? Sorry, I'm still…"

"It's okay," Yukiko said. "We can just talk here. I know it's not our special headquarters, but if you can't make it all the way, then that's fine."

Maybe it was the fog, that seemed so much thicker today than usual – maybe that was why Aika felt so sick. She sat down gingerly on the grass and pulled her knees up to her chest, burying her face in her arms. "Are you okay, Senpai?" Rise asked. "You don't look good at all. Maybe this was a bad idea…"

Aika lifted her head slightly and looked to her friends, who all stared down at her in concern. "I'm okay," she said. "Or… I _will_ be."

"You should take it easy, Aika," Chie advised. "You were in the other world for quite a while."

"Two days…" Aika said slowly. "Right? Wasn't Yukiko in there for that long too?"

"Oh yeah, because of Chie's Shadow…" Yosuke mused.

"I think I know why you're still so out of it, Aika-chan," Teddie said with a smile. "Yuki-chan didn't have her Persona yet, so the Shadow we fought wasn't that strong. But you lost control of your Persona, and it turned back into a Shadow. Yours was _way_ stronger than Yuki-chan's was, probably because it spent so much time fighting as a Persona."

"So that's what made it such a bitch to deal with?" Kanji asked.

"I-It wasn't that bad, was it?" Aika said shakily.

"What, are you kidding?" Chie deadpanned. "The only reason yours was better than Rise-chan's was because we could actually _defeat_ yours."

"I'm sorry…" Aika mumbled. "I don't know how I lost control like that…"

Rise giggled. "It's okay, Senpai," she said earnestly. "You're allowed to have a Shadow too – just like all of us." She huffed in annoyance. "But next time, can you tell your Shadow to tone it down on the Almighty spells? You almost killed us."

Aika couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry…"

"Sorry to interrupt," Naoto said sharply, "but there are important matters we must discuss. Namely, what exactly transpired the night Nanako-chan disappeared."

"So, how are we gonna go about this…?" Chie asked slowly.

"Maybe Aika should go first," Yukiko suggested. "She was right in the middle of it, after all."

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled, hugging her knees tightly. "I-I don't really…"

"Try to remember," Naoto said. "Start at the beginning, and stop at the point where you can no longer remember what happened."

Aika exhaled slowly and stared up at the foggy sky. She still felt lightheaded beyond belief, but having her friends there with her eased things somewhat. "Okay… So Uncle came home that night, and he said he had a letter for me."

"It was a warning letter, right?" Yosuke asked. "Nanako-chan mentioned that you got a weird letter."

"Yeah, it was," Aika replied. "What did it say…? 'If you don't stop, someone else will be put in and killed'… Then again, I didn't really read it. Uncle did."

"He intercepted your letter?" Naoto asked.

"No… I don't think I opened it at all. I just saw that it was a warning letter, and I sort of… panicked."

"That must've been so scary…" Rise said quietly.

"So Uncle took it from me and opened it himself…" Aika continued slowly. "Then he freaked out when he read it, because he thought someone was threatening me… which is kind of happening, I guess… and he wanted to know why. So he just… took me to the police station because he thought that would be the safest place for me." Aika hugged her knees tightly and rested her head on top of them. "I was so scared… I-I couldn't stop crying…"

"Poor Aika-chan…" Teddie said solemnly.

"So once we got there, he asked me about what was going on," Aika continued, exhaling sharply. "And I told him everything. I just… I'm sorry. I couldn't deal with hiding things anymore because I thought…" The group exchanged uneasy looks. "I don't think he believed me at first, but then I stuck my hand in the TV. Then he went to get a tape recorder and he told me to be ready to say everything again. Then Nanako came on the Midnight Channel, and…" Her mind hit a wall there – it was as if there was a giant, gaping hole in her memory. "I don't remember… Why can't I remember…?"

"What don't you remember?" Kanji asked.

"How I got inside the TV…" Aika replied quietly. "I remember waking up on the other side, and I remember my Shadow showing up after that, but… _How_?"

"Are you sure you didn't just jump in yourself?" Chie asked. "'Cause that's what Adachi-san told us."

"I-I don't know…" Aika said again. "I don't remember."

"But wouldn't you know if you _did_ willingly jump in?" Yukiko asked. "Actually, it sounds more like someone _pushed _you in."

"But the only person I remember seeing before I woke up inside the TV was Adachi-san and my uncle, and they wouldn't do that to me!" Aika insisted.

"Dojima-san wouldn't, without a doubt…" Naoto mused. "Perhaps Adachi-san? No, that's improbable, given his behavioral patterns…"

"Maybe someone _else _pushed her in," Rise suggested. "Maybe it was someone new. _That's_ why Senpai can't remember who it was."

"What do you think, Aika?" Chie asked.

"I…" Aika mumbled. "I'm really sorry. I don't know…" Her head was now throbbing mercilessly, and she felt sick to her stomach as dark spots flashed across her vision.

"Guys, maybe we should just drop this for now," Yosuke suggested. "Aika's at her limit."

"But I still need to know what happened," Aika said. "On your side. Why are Uncle and Nanako in the hospital?"

They all exchanged uneasy looks. "Well…" Yosuke said slowly before sighing. "Might as well get this over with… Okay, so Teddie and I called your home phone, and Nanako-chan told us that you were at the police station because you got that warning letter. Then we all saw the Midnight Channel, and we saw Nanako-chan on there, so Naoto, Chie, Yukiko, and Rise all went over to your house to check up on her, and Kanji, Teddie, and I went to the police station to check on you."

"Didn't we run into Dojima-san there?" Kanji asked uncertainly.

"Yeah," Yosuke replied. "Then Adachi-san came running over and said you jumped into the TV. So your uncle just hopped into his car and started looking for you two, and we all managed to figure out who the murderer was."

"It was Taro Namatame," Naoto said. "The deliveryman. He confessed to kidnapping us all."

"N-Namatame-san…?" Aika echoed. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, come to think of it…" Chie interjected. "He said a lot of weird stuff about you, Aika. Like how he was gonna _save Nanako-chan _for you."

Aika dropped her head down to her knees. "Yeah, that sounds like something he'd say…"

"So we told Dojima-san," Yosuke continued, "and he and Namatame got into this really bad accident, 'cause it was raining. _That's _why he's in the hospital. His spine got fractured or something."

"But is he okay?" Aika asked emphatically.

"His condition is stable," Naoto told her calmly. "Thankfully, that was the most severe of his injuries."

"But Nanako was already gone, right?" Aika asked. "A-Are you really sure it's Namatame-san?"

"You know him, Senpai?" Kanji asked.

"Well…" Aika said slowly. "Sort of. I, uh… I sort of had a Social Link with him. And every time we met, he'd talk about how he was doing something good for the people of Inaba, and… did he ever mention 'saving' people…?"

"So you definitely conversed more than once," Naoto said, "to the point that he recognizes you by face and name, and that he would be willing to kidnap someone for your sake."

"But that doesn't sound like him at all…" Aika said quietly. She groaned and buried her head in her arms. "My head feels like it's splitting open…"

"We'll just finish the story and take you back home then," Yosuke said.

"We're sorry, Senpai…" Rise said solemnly. "We knew both you and Nanako-chan were in the TV world, but we went to save Nanako-chan first because we thought you'd be fine for at least a little while. But…"

"Thank you," Aika said. "I… I would've done the same. A-And you couldn't have known that I'd get a Shadow, either…"

"Actually, we probably could've…" Chie said slowly. "Hey, uh… Remember… that conversation we had before all that stuff happened?" No, they were going to confront her about it and get mad and there was no way Aika could deal with that right now.

"A-Aika-chan…" Teddie whimpered. And then, he threw his arms around Aika and sobbed into her shoulder. "We're so sorry!" Wait… what?

"We didn't mean to gang up on you like that," Yukiko said. "We just wanted to know what was going on."

"Yeah, I didn't help things much, either…" Yosuke said in a low voice. "Sorry for… losing it. After you told me about Saki-senpai's Shadow. I mean, I didn't realize how I must've come off until later, but…"

"I'm sorry for hiding that from all of you," Aika whispered. "It just… It didn't feel right, using my relationship with all of you to get more powerful Personas. So I just… _didn't_."

"That's true," Chie conceded. "You used only Aoandon after a while, didn't you? Once she got strong enough to fight on her own."

"You don't have to worry about the Wild Card anymore," Aika said. "My Shadow got rid of it. And… I'm glad it did." A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Speaking of which… you guys should meet Igor and Margaret."

"Right now?" Yosuke asked. "A-Are you sure you can handle it?"

Aika stood up shakily, swaying unsteadily on her feet, and she latched on to Yosuke's arm to regain her balance. "Yeah, I'm okay," she said as firmly as she possibly could. "Let's go." But, by the time they finally reached the Velvet Room entrance in the shopping district, Aika had to stop to catch her breath, leaning against the Velvet Room door and slumping to the floor. "Maybe we should just take you home," Yukiko suggested. "You don't look well at all."

"Yeah, you look kind of sick," Chie agreed. "Maybe we should do this tomorrow."

"No," Aika said stubbornly as she stood up, leaning on the wall for support. "I promise, I'll go home and rest after this."

As if on cue, the door to the Velvet Room swung open, revealing Margaret. "Welcome," she said pleasantly.

"Hi, Margaret…" Aika said quietly. "Is it okay if everyone comes inside?"

The tiniest of smiles graced Margaret's features. "There is no rule disallowing that. Please come in." And so, everyone piled into the Velvet Room, which was now rather cramped due to how many people it housed now.

"Everything's so blue…" Rise said, spinning on the ball of her foot and gazing around the room.

"I-It's soft!" Kanji choked, running his hand up and down the couch where Margaret sat.

"Wow!" Teddie gasped. "You have a _really _long nose!"

Igor's eye twitched. "Teddie!" Chie yelled, smacking him across the arm. "You don't just _say_ that to someone!"

Yukiko snorted in laughter. "It's true, though."

Chie groaned. "Not you too, Yukiko…"

"Um…" Aika mumbled. "Th-This is the Velvet Room. This is where I came to fuse new Personas. That's Igor, sitting in the chair over there, and that's Margaret."

"It's nice to meet you," everyone chorused.

Igor chuckled. "It's nice to meet you all as well," he said. "Now, if you would please leave the room for a few minutes. There is something of great importance that I need to, ah, discuss with Master Aika… of should I say _former_ Master Aika?"

Aika clasped her hands together tightly and stared downward. "Let's do what Big Nose says!" Teddie announced.

"Teddie!" everyone yelled as they filed out of the room.

Aika sat down with her hands folded across her lap, her face burning as she avoided Igor and Margaret's gaze at all costs. "We received some interesting news a week ago," Igor explained. "It seems that you no longer possess the Wild Card."

"I-I can explain," Aika said suddenly. "I-It was my Shadow, it—"

"So it _was_ you, then…" Margaret said with a serene smile. "We suspected as much."

Aika opened her mouth to protest, but clamped it shut and sighed. She had to accept and acknowledge what her Shadow said if she was ever going to keep it under control – Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and the others were all doing it every day, so she could do it too. "Please note that we are not angry, my dear," Igor said in a gentle voice. "Far from it, actually."

"B-But—" Aika protested.

"Allow me to show you something," Igor said. He waved his hand, holding his palm toward the ceiling, and a single shimmering card descended to it. He handed Aika the card, which depicted several three individuals staring up at a figure descending from the sky. The numerals "XX" was written on the bottom of the card, and the card felt warm with energy. "Your Arcanum alignment has changed. Before, you embodied the Hermit, but now, you lean more toward the Judgment."

"This card suggests that you have experienced an awakening in which you have come to the realization that you need to be true to yourself and your needs," Margaret explained. "It is a powerful card that implies that you now fully understand much of what has happened to you and that you have learned a great deal from your experiences."

"Most importantly," Igor said with a cryptic smile, "this card suggests that you are ready to confront any unfinished business in your life, that you will find absolution, and…" His smile widened. "… that you will be able to solve any, ah, unsolved _mysteries_."

"W-Wow…" Aika gasped as she stared down at her card. "Th-That's…"

"Now, my dear, flip the card around," Igor instructed, and Aika obeyed, staring at the card upside down. "Reversed, the Judgment suggests that you are being overly harsh and critical with yourself, and thus unable to learn from your mistakes and move forward. But more importantly, it serves as a reminder – a reminder that, no matter how difficult things are, in every decision you face, you still have at least have some element of control."

"When things seem hopeless, and you feel that you are entirely at the mercy of other people's judgment, remember that you too can choose your own destiny," Margaret said.

"I believe that your Shadow embodied the Judgment reversed," Igor said. "Every card has two sides, my dear – upright and reversed. The Wild Card is not inherently a negative card – you simply perceived it in the reversed position, while Master Makoto before you perceived it in the upright position. Neither interpretation is correct, and yet neither is incorrect as well."

And, for once, Aika didn't hate the Wild Card so much. "I understand…"

"Now, I highly suggest that you rest," Igor said, clasping his hands together. "You look unwell."

Aika huffed in annoyance. "Yeah, I know."

"Allow me to escort you outside," Margaret said, standing up and dusting off her dress. "So I guess this is goodbye, for the time being. It's been a pleasure serving you, Master Aika."

"I-I can't come back here?" Aika asked. "Now that I don't have the Wild Card anymore?"

Margaret's eyes widened, and she appeared dumbfounded. "You wish… to come visit me?"

"Yeah," Aika replied.

Margaret smiled. "Well, then… until next time, Master Aika."

"Thanks for everything, Margaret." And with that, Aika stepped outside to join her friends.

* * *

When Aika woke up the next morning, her body felt heavy and her head felt light, as usual. But the most disturbing thing was that it was nearly ten o'clock – she was _sure_ she set her alarm the previous night to wake up in time for school… So when she made her way downstairs, she still wasn't entirely sure what was going on. Then she saw her mother sitting on the couch, drinking coffee, and her father in the kitchen. "Morning, Aika-chan!" Mom greeted cheerfully. "How're ya feeling today, sunshine?"

"Uh…" To be honest, she didn't feel any different than she did the previous day. "A little better… Say, Mom… Did my alarm go off this morning?"

"Oh, that's right…" Dad said slowly. "You wanted to go to school, didn't you?"

"Well, I missed almost a whole week," Aika said. "But either I slept through my alarm, or it didn't go off at all…" She sighed despondently, staring at her feet.

"Uh…" Mom said. "Don't take this the wrong way, Aika-chan, but… we kind of disabled your alarm after you went to bed last night."

In hindsight, maybe she shouldn't have gotten so angry with her mother for admitting that. "What?" she shrieked. "H-How could you do that?"

"Aika, you don't look well at all," Dad tried to explain. "And you were so wiped out after coming home yesterday, and you were out with your friends for barely an hour. There's no reason to rush—"

"What makes you think you can make these kinds of decisions for me?" Aika yelled, crossing her arms and glaring at both her parents. "I know my own limits!"

"Aika, you're being unreasonable," Mom said bluntly. Aika sighed as she stomped upstairs. "Where are you going?"

"None of your business!" Aika shouted back petulantly. She stuffed her wallet and glasses into a purse and came down quickly.

"Don't tell me you're planning on going out today," Mom said.

"So what if I am?" Aika shot back. "You're the one who said I needed to be more _social_."

"Aika, can't we just talk about this?" Dad begged.

"We'll have _plenty_ of time to talk in _Mikage-cho_, won't we, Dad?" And with that, Aika slammed the front door shut and ran away.

She didn't even realize she was crying until her cell phone buzzed in her hand. She dried her eyes and sniffled before answering. "H-Hello?"

"Aika-chan!" she heard Adachi say on the other line. "Thank goodness… I ran into your friends earlier today, but you weren't there… They said you weren't feeling well?"

"I'm fine," Aika ground out.

"Anyway, they're finally letting people visit Nanako-chan now," Adachi said. "So she's getting better."

Aika stopped running when the world danced dizzyingly beneath her feet, and she made her way to the nearest bench to sit down and catch her breath. "That's good…"

"Yeah," Adachi agreed. "So, if you aren't busy today, you should go visit her… and you should probably pay a visit to Dojima-san too. He's been worried sick about you."

"I will," Aika said. "Thanks, Adachi-san. Sometimes, I don't know what I'd do without you." Suddenly, an image flashed through her mind – Adachi smirking at her, though not in his usual carefree way. There was something sinister about that smirk, and it filled her with such a horrible sense of dread that she found herself shivering. But then the image was gone as quickly as it came – probably because such a look would never appear on Adachi, of all people.

"Yeah, I was about to do the same. Hey, maybe we'll run into each other!"

Aika gave a small smile as she leaned backward. "Maybe…"

"Glad to know you're okay, Aika-chan!" Adachi said before hanging up.

And, as soon as the call ended, Aika forced herself to stand, though the ground still swayed unsteadily before her feet. She made it to the hospital in a daze, and the nurses recognized her immediately, telling her which room Uncle was in, and also asking her if she herself needed any medical attention because she looked so horrible.

She stumbled into Uncle's room after taking the elevator instead of the stairs, even though his room was only on the second floor. He was sitting up in bed, his face partially hidden by the newspaper he was reading. "I haven't been out of bed all morning, so leave me alone, already," he said as soon as Aika shut the door behind her.

"Hi Uncle," she said in response.

He promptly dropped the paper and stared at her in surprise, and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes because he looked so thin and so much weaker than she'd ever seen him in her life. She didn't so much run to him as practically leap into him, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shirt and crying. When he hugged her back, she could tell that he was using almost all of his strength, but his grip was still too weak – but she couldn't exactly talk, since hers was probably even weaker. "Thank goodness…" he sighed.

"You're okay…" she said in relief, her voice coming out muffled.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Uncle replied. Aika drew away slowly, and Uncle wiped the tears away. "But… you look like you're in worse shape than I am."

Aika crossed her arms and turned away, frowning. "I'm _fine_. I don't know why everyone's making such a big deal… Speaking of which… Mom and Dad are—"

"Shirogane and your boyfriend asked me how to get in touch with them about a week ago," Uncle explained, "but apparently, they'd already planned to come here." He smiled sheepishly as Aika settled down on his bed. He put his arm around her, and she snuggled close to him, resting her throbbing head against him. "They told me… their plans for the new year." Aika sighed, already knowing where he was going with this. "They mentioned that you weren't too happy about it."

"I bet they did," Aika grumbled.

"You really took a shine to this place, didn't you?" Uncle asked, resting his head on top of hers. "It's not a _bad_ thing… but they're your parents, Aika. They _want_ to be with you."

"But I want to stay here!" Aika shot back. "I… I actually have _friends_ here, Uncle, and…" She sighed. "The only reason we got so close was because of the case. If it weren't for that…"

"Did you tell your parents that?" Uncle asked. "Did you tell them about the case at all?"

"Of course they know about the case…" Aika replied tiredly. "They asked if I was okay every time they called."

"No, I mean… the TV stuff."

"What?" Aika mumbled distractedly. Then it occurred to her. "Oh… _Oh_."

"You should tell them exactly what you told me," Uncle said. "They'll probably have an easier time of believing you than I did. And if all else fails, then just stick your hand in the TV. That'll convince 'em for sure."

Aika sighed. "I guess…"

"Now onto more important things," Uncle said sharply, straightening up. "What happened the day you and Nanako went missing? Did you really jump into the TV after Nanako?"

"I don't remember…" Aika replied. "I remember up until the time Nanako appeared on the Midnight Channel, and then I remember waking up in the TV world. But what happened between that… It's like there's a giant hole in my memory."

Uncle sighed. "I hope you _did_ just jump in after her," he said solemnly. "Because if you didn't, then that means…"

"… someone tried to kill me…" Aika finished quietly. "But… I think I'd remember if I really did jump in after Nanako. A-And no one else could remember what happened right before they were thrown in the TV, so…"

"And I'm guessing that, if someone really pushed you in, then it's the same person that sent you that letter… _those_ letters. Seriously, I can't believe you tried hiding those from me."

Aika shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "I didn't want you to worry."

"Bullshit," he replied flatly. Aika giggled. "In all seriousness, though, I think you'll find the answer to everything that's going on. It won't be easy – hell, it hasn't been so far – but you can do it. You _will_. I know you can." Aika smiled gratefully at her uncle, but then yawned. She suddenly became aware of just how heavy her body felt, and just how tired she was in general. Maybe her parents were right, making her skip school for just a little longer… "You okay? You don't look so great."

"I'm just tired," Aika replied, because she honestly couldn't think of any other way to explain her condition. Besides – it was only natural for Uncle to worry, since Nanako was in the hospital for the same reason. "Um…" She slid off the bed and stood up, stretching, only to be rewarded with a rush of vertigo. "I'm going to visit Nanako, and then head home."

"Yeah," Uncle replied, nodding. "You need to get some rest. There's no point in pushing your body past its limits."

"Okay. I'll come visit again tomorrow, Uncle."

"Thanks," Uncle replied, nodding. "I'm bored out of my mind as it is." And, after Uncle told Aika Nanako's room number, she made her way there, making a strong mental note to collapse into her futon as soon as she got home. There was a nurse inside Nanako's room, checking the small girl's blood pressure.

Aika pushed open the door as quietly should. "U-Um…"

The nurse, a young-looking wearing a pink sweater over her uniform, with her black hair pulled up into a neat ponytail, looked up at Aika immediately. "Oh, Dojima-san," she said, and Aika didn't bother to correct her. "About time you showed up. Nanako-chan hasn't stopped asking for her 'Big Sis' since she woke up."

"S-Sorry…" Aika replied, smiling sheepishly.

"Come to think of it, I should probably check your vitals too," the nurse said, smirking slightly. "You look about half dead."

Aika glared at her. "I'm _fine_."

The nurse shrugged. "Suit yourself." She packed up her equipment and stood up. "Take it easy, Nanako-chan. Remember what my name is?"

"Sa-yo-ko-san," came Nanako's muffled response.

The nurse chuckled and smiled, patting Nanako on the head. "Good girl." She made her way to the door, smirking at Aika. "She's all yours."

And finally, Aika was left alone with Nanako. Aika made her way over to the bed, sitting down by Nanako. "Hi, Nanako…"

"Big… Sis…" Nanako said, closing her eyes and smiling as she entwined her fingers with Aika's.

"I'm here now," Aika said. "I-I'm sorry I was gone before…"

"Big… Sis…" Nanako said again, and then her grip loosened as she fell asleep. Aika stood up, tucking Nanako in the hospital bed just as she'd do at home.

She walked back home in a daze, and, as expected, her parents were waiting in the living room for her – but her eyelids were drooping, and it was nearly impossible to focus on anything. Her father hugged her as soon as she took off her shoes. "Aika, don't ever do that again," he said. "We were so worried…"

"Yeah, what if you passed out in a ditch somewhere?" Mom asked, coming up and glaring at her. "You have to take it easy, Aika! You can't keep pushing yourself like this, or you'll never get better!"

"I-I'm sorry…" Aika said quietly. "Mom… Dad… There's something I need to tell you."

"Tell us later, missy," Mom said, lifting Aika up and slinging her body over her shoulder. "You need to get some rest."

That was good, Aika reasoned – it would give her time to come up with how she was going to explain her involvement in the case to her parents, instead of just babbling everything like she did to Uncle. She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, she was lying in her futon, and she could smell food in the kitchen. She woke up feeling much better, but the annoying lightheadedness was still there – though that too was slightly better.

And, for some reason, Yosuke was downstairs, sitting next to Dad on the couch. They seemed to be discussing something serious, so Aika left them alone and joined her mother in the kitchen. "Can I help?" she asked.

"No," Mom replied bluntly. "You sit tight and relax."

"I'm not an _invalid_, Mom," Aika muttered, crossing her arms and frowning petulantly.

"You got that one from Nao-chan, didn't you?" Mom asked with a smirk.

"Maybe." Knowing that she wasn't going to get anywhere with her mother, Aika made her way to the couch, sandwiching herself in the large gap between Dad and Yosuke. "Hi."

"Hey," Yosuke said. "You feeling better?"

Aika nodded. "Yeah, I think I'll be able to come to school tomorrow."

"We'll see," Dad said with a hard edge to his voice. "Anyway, I must say, I approve of your taste in significant others."

"Nice catch, Aika!" Mom called from the kitchen, holding her thumb up in the air.

Aika felt her face heat up, and she gave a mortified shriek. "M-Mom…"

"You have _much_ better taste than _I_ did, at any rate," Dad deadpanned.

"Love ya too, honeybun!" Mom yelled.

"At least it wasn't as bad as _Chisato's_."

"Hey! Ryo-chan happens to be a wonderful young man! … Who isn't so young anymore."

"Ryo-chan?" Yosuke muttered under his breath.

"My sister's too good for him!" Dad yelled, though Aika could tell he was joking.

"Ryo-chan's too good for your sister!" Mom shot back.

"No offense, but your parents are weird," Yosuke whispered to Aika.

Aika giggled in response. "Tell me about it." She leaned into him and whispered so that her father wouldn't hear: "Let's go upstairs while they're still distracted."

He gave a mock gasp. "I-I had no idea you wanted something like that out of our relationship, Nakaumra-san! M-My heart isn't ready…!"

Aika just shook her head and smiled, grabbing his wrist and pulling him away from the couch with her. They were halfway up the stairs before her parents noticed. "You two better not be having sex up there!"

"We're not!" Aika shouted back, and Yosuke's mortified expression was so comical that Aika couldn't help but laugh.

"So…" He cleared his throat awkwardly. "We went to visit Nanako-chan today."

"So did I," Aika said. "Was she doing any better?"

"It looked like it hurt to talk…" Yosuke mumbled. "Your uncle looked a lot happier, though. And he kept thanking us for saving you. Did you visit him too?"

"Yeah…" Aika replied. "It was… nice."

Yosuke smiled. "I can imagine." They sat down on the couch in Aika's room, with Yosuke's arm around her and Aika leaning against him. Yosuke sighed heavily, his expression solemn. "The doctor said he couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, even though she's stable now. He… He said they're just going to monitor her condition for now, until they can figure out what's wrong or until she gets better, but she's not in any more danger."

Aika sighed in relief. "That's good…"

"Yeah…"

And, for a while, they just sat there, not doing or saying anything, and Aika couldn't feel more grateful that she wasn't so tired anymore. "Yosuke?" she said after a long, comfortable silence.

"Hmm?"

"Have you had your first kiss yet?"

Yosuke shifted suddenly. "Say _what_?"

"I-I know it's really random, b-but… I'm curious."

He rested his head on top of hers. "Have you?"

"No…"

"Do you… want to try right now?"

"N-Not really…" Aika looked up at him. "I just… I want my first kiss to be _special_, you know?"

Yosuke smiled and hugged her to his side. "It will be. I'll make sure of it. So… after all this is over?"

Aika smiled and kissed him on the cheek experimentally. She didn't miss the way he blushed and stared at her in surprise. "Sure. New Year's Eve. When the clock strikes midnight."

Yosuke could barely conceal his excitement. "You've got yourself a date."

* * *

"I'm going to fail," Aika mumbled.

"Aw, I'm sure you'll be fine," Yosuke replied.

"I missed so much school, though," Aika protested. "And on top of that…" She gripped her arm tightly, staring downward. "I barely studied at all. I… I don't know if it's what happened before, or if I'm really coming down with a cold, b-but… last night, I just… suddenly started feeling really sick, and I couldn't focus at all, so I went to bed really early."

"Are you feeling better now, at least?"

Aika sighed. "Barely… I swear, my head's going to explode…"

"I'm surprised your parents let you come to school at all then."

"They aren't here. They left on the first day of finals, remember?"

"Oh yeah… Well, you better dress extra warm then. The weather said it might start snowing soon, but what's going to happen if it snows with all this fog?"

"Whoa!" Aika heard Chie gasp from somewhere behind her. "Where'd you guys come from?" Yukiko, Rise, Kanji, and Naoto stood by Chie, each of them looking slightly uneasy. Chie groaned. "This fog's so thick that sometimes you can't see your nose in front of your face… We thought we'd be better off if we went in a group."

"It's definitely been weird lately," Yosuke agreed. "And it's so cold, too… Maybe you really are getting sick, Aika."

"Huh?" Rise asked. "Did you catch a cold, Senpai?"

"I don't know…" Aika replied, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. "It doesn't _feel_ like a cold, but I still don't feel well at all…"

"Visibility's so bad, it's scary…" Rise mumbled. "It's just like on the other side."

Suddenly, Kanji's eyes widened, and he reached into his pocket and shoved his glasses on his face. "G-Guys, put on your glasses!"

Aika reached into her bag and complied, and she didn't know whether to be happy or scared that it was as if the fog didn't exist when she put her glasses on for the first time in weeks. "Wh-What the…"

"Whoa…" Yukiko gasped. "It's all clear…"

"Wh-What the hell is going on?" Yosuke demanded.

"These glasses are meant to help us see through the fog in the other world," Naoto quipped, "but putting that aside, no glasses would improve one's visibility in a fog, under normal circumstances."

"Could the fog from over there be leaking into our world…?" Chie mused.

"Wh-What if that's really it?" Aika stammered. Suddenly, she sneezed, shivering.

"Anyways…" Yosuke said slowly. "Today's the last day of exams, right? Let's get 'em over with so we can meet up at the special headquarters after school."

* * *

"Hey!" Chie said at Junes after school as she pointed to a spot on the newspaper that lay on the table. "Here's a story about the fog! 'Some specialists are raising concerns that this fog may consist of harmful substances. More and more citizens are calling for an investigation into the cause of the fog and the facts about it. Though the government has begun its preliminary investigation, many feel that the causes will be hard to pinpoint.' Huh… Is the fog really that dangerous?"

"If it's the same fog that's on the other side, then definitely," Aika answered. "I remember, the fog made me sick after I spent a few hours in it. Remember, when we first went to the other side?"

"And it's probably what's making you sick right now," Yosuke said. "But you got over it in like a day back then, right? So is it because of the fog that you're taking so much more time to recover?"

"I would assume it has to do more with Aika-senpai's refusal to let her body recuperate properly," Naoto said stiffly.

"It _does_ seem a lot like the fog on the other side…" Teddie conceded, "but beyond that, I'm clueless."

Naoto pointed to another spot on the newspaper. "There's another item of note here – a summary of Namatame's career, with details about the case. 'The suspect was having an affair with the first victim. It seems she was killed due to relationship troubles. Also in April, Ms. Saki Konishi's body was discovered. The police are looking into a motive for the murder. In July, a boy in Inaba performed a copycat murder. The boy was initially thought to be the culprit behind the killings, but later suspicion was thrown upon Namatame. Last month, the culprit attempted to kidnap a seven-year-old girl of Inaba, resulting in his arrest.'" Naoto sighed. "It seems Namatame is still confined to his hospital bed, so further investigation has yet to commence."

"I still don't think he did it…" Aika whispered.

"Aika, he kidnapped Nanako-chan without a doubt," Chie said.

"I know, b-but…" Aika protested.

"The stuff he was saying was so obviously nuts," Rise pointed out. "If he says anything about the TV world, he might be considered mentally unstable."

"B-But maybe he had a good reason for it!" Aika said suddenly.

"Are you seriously trying to _justify_ him kidnapping Nanako-chan?" Yukiko asked. "_And_ all of us?"

"You weren't there, Aika," Yosuke said. "He confessed to everything. It's over." He sighed. "Saki-senpai… no, not just her. That announcer lady, too… And it's his fault that Nanako-chan's in the hospital."

There was a gust of wind that made Aika shiver violently, and she gasped as she remembered something. "A kotatsu!"

"A what now?" Kanji asked.

"I promised Nanako that we'd go shopping for a new kotatsu," Aika explained. "Our old one's broken, and it's really cold now, so…"

"Oh, then why don't we check them out right now?" Chie suggested. "I know Nanako-chan would be psyched if she came home and found a new kotatsu!"

"Hey, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Yosuke asked. "The winter season's coming up, and we just got a bunch of 'em in stock!" He stood up and held his fist in the air. "All right! To the housewares section! For Nanako-chan!"

Aika giggled as she and her friends made their way inside Junes. Thankfully, it was a lot warmer inside, though Aika still shivered, and each and every kotatsu she saw looked more and more appealing. "If we're gonna buy a kotatsu, we might as well get some oranges to complete the set," Chie said.

"It's a cliché because it's true, dammit," Kanji added.

"The best complement to a kotatsu would be a heated rug," Naoto said.

"That sounds amazing…" Aika sighed.

"Hey, won't that much juice kill the breaker the moment you tried to microwave something?" Yosuke pointed out. His eyes widened suddenly in realization. "Oh yeah, you've never used a kotatsu before, huh Ted? It's nice and toasty.

Teddie stood with his head hung low. "C-Can I still stay here?" he asked. "Y-You all kept your promise to me, so I should be going back, but…"

Yosuke sighed in irritation. "Teddie, we've been over this a million and one times," he said exasperatedly. "Of _course_ you can stay. How many times do we have to say this before it gets through to you?"

"Nanako-chan would be said if you weren't there when she wakes up," Chie pointed out.

"B-But…" Teddie protested weakly. "I couldn't save Nana-chan…"

"Teddie…" Aika said quietly. "The only person who couldn't save Nanako was me. I owe you so much for going and rescuing her when I couldn't."

"We caught the killer, man," Kanji said. "We couldn'ta done that without you."

"Teddie, you shouldn't talk that way when Nanako-chan is still fighting," Yukiko reprimanded softly.

"Should you ever tire of the Hanamura residence, you are more than welcome to stay with me," Naoto said.

"Y-You guys…" Teddie whimpered.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Chie exclaimed suddenly. "Why don't we pick out a Christmas present for Nanako-chan while we're here?"

"That's a great idea!" Yukiko agreed. "I'm sure she'll be out of the hospital by then."

"Ooh, I know!" Teddie said enthusiastically. "I read this one magazine under Yosuke's bed, where there was this giant box, and a guy was sitting inside with a giant red bow tied around his—"

"Wh-What kind of magazine was this?" Aika shrieked.

"Ew, Yosuke!" Chie yelled.

"H-Hey!" Yosuke yelled. "Ted! Remember what we discussed that time you _brought those magazines to the dinner table_ that one time?"

"Hey, Aika-senpai, what kind of animals does Nanako-chan like?" Kanji asked suddenly.

"Uh…" Aika mumbled, not entirely sure where he was going with this. "Bunnies… cats… dolphins… the pink alligator from that children's book that came out a couple years ago…"

"A plush pink alligator doll!" Kanji said triumphantly. "With a white dress with lace and ribbons and—"

"W-Wait, don't tell me you're going to _make_ this for her!" Aika cut him off. Suddenly her phone rang, and she pulled it out, frowning slightly as she saw Adachi's name flash across the screen. "H-Hello?" she said slowly.

"Hey, it's Adachi," said a frantic voice on the other line. "Um, I want you to stay calm and listen to me, okay Aika-chan? Nanako-chan's condition suddenly got worse… The doctor wants you to come to the hospital immediately. We'll be waiting." Even after Adachi hung up, Aika couldn't move. She couldn't think, and she couldn't say anything, and her friends were starting to notice, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"H-Hey…" Yosuke said, putting his hands on her shoulders. Her phone slipped out of her grasp, and it fell to the floor with a clatter. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Who was that?" Chie asked.

Yukiko bent down to pick up the dropped cellphone, and she flipped it open. "Adachi-san…? What did he want?"

"It isn't like Adachi-san to call on a whim like this…" Naoto mused. "Then that means…" She gasped. "Something must be seriously wrong."

"N-Nanako…" was all Aika could say.

"Wait, you don't mean…" Yosuke said slowly. "Come on!" He grabbed her wrist, and they all dashed outside Junes.

* * *

Aika gripped the railing by Nanako's hospital bed tightly, staring down at her sister. The little girl was breathing heavily, and her face was slightly blue. There was a cacophony of voices in the hall outside, demanding answers about the fog, and Aika's head throbbed mercilessly because they were too loud, but all she could do was just stand there, by Nanako's side, hoping that everything would be okay.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" she heard Uncle yell at the doctor above it all. "Can't you see how much pain she's in?"

"All we can do now is monitor her condition closely," the doctor said in much too calm a voice. "Dojima-san, you need to return to your—"

"I don't give a damn about myself!" Uncle shouted. "Do something about Nanako—" He groaned suddenly, crouching over in pain.

"Dojima-san!" Yosuke, who happened to be the closest to him, cried out in alarm, putting one hand on the older man's back to steady him.

"Just save her…" Uncle ground out. "For god's sake, please save Nanako…"

"We'll do our best," the doctor said with a sigh. "For the time being, I must ask you to step outside."

Naoto put one hand on Aika's back. "Come, Senpai." Aika walked outside in a daze, and she sat down in a seat right across from Nanako's room, unable to stop shaking.

"Hey!" Yosuke yelled hysterically at Teddie. "Can't you do something? This all ahs to do with the world you came from! Can't you figure something out?"

"I'm thinking…" Teddie mumbled. "I'm thinking, but…"

"Dammit!" Kanji cursed. "Why does this have to happen to a little girl like her…? He slammed his fist against the wall. "This is all that bastard's fault!"

"Nanako-chan's gonna be okay, right?" Chie asked quietly.

An indefinite period of time later, Adachi walked up to them. "You guys still here?" he asked.

"How is Dojima-san doing?" Naoto asked.

"His wounds opened up again," Adachi explained. "They're treating it over in his room now."

"Any luck with your investigation on Namatame?" Yosuke asked.

"A-About that…" Adachi murmured. "I won't mince words here. We're gonna have a hard time making the charges stick. It'll be next to impossible to find him guilty in court, especially given the reason why we took him off our list of suspects for the first case."

"Oh yeah, that whole thing about him having an alibi…" Chie mused.

"Yeah, and the whole angle about him putting people into TVs…" Adachi added. "There's no way that'll stand up in court. What the public wants is when, where, and how Namatame killed these people. And Dojima-san knows it…" But through it all, Aika couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something horribly wrong with what he was saying. Was it that he was lying, or was there an inconsistency with the true nature of the case somewhere?

"Well, ain't you calm about this," Kanji practically growled.

"I-I'm just telling you the truth!" Adachi replied shakily. Aika frowned – yes, something was _definitely_ wrong.

"And you call yourself a cop?" Kanji yelled. "Huh? You saw Senpai go inside the TV before! You want more proof? Then hurry up and bring a TV, dammit!"

"Hey, stop!" Rise cried.

Then, all of a sudden, a nurse ran outside Nanako's room. "Is Nanako-chan's family here?" she asked urgently.

Aika stood up slowly. "I-I am…"

"Hurry inside!" the nurse said. "Please, talk to her!"

Aika ran into the room in a daze. "Nanako!" she cried, gripping the railing by her sister's bed. She was shaking so much that she was sure she was rattling the bed. All the while, Aika could hear Nanako's heart monitor beeping.

"D-Daddy…" Nanako whimpered, her face contorted in pain.

"He's coming," Aika said hurriedly. "He'll be here soon." Nanako whimpered in pain, and the beeping accelerated.

"Nanako-chan," said the doctor in the room. "Nanako-chan, can you hear us? Do you understand what we're saying? Your big sister's here with you. Just hang in there."

Aika gripped Nanako's hand as tightly as she could, as if it was a lifeline. Her heart felt heavy and she wanted to cry, but she was too panicked to do so. "It'll be okay, Nanako. You'll be okay." It sounded more like she was trying to convince herself of that fact than console Nanako.

"Where's Dojima-san?" the doctor yelled.

"We're calling for him right now!" the nurse replied.

"Big… Sis…" Nanako said quietly. "I'm… scared…" Her voice sounded more and more strained by the minute, and it looked like Nanako was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Nanako…?"

"Big… Sis… Dad…dy…" Then, Nanako closed her eyes, and the repeated beeping noise turned to one long, incessant beep. Aika froze, her eyes widening, unable to comprehend what had just happened. She still held Nanako's hand, just staring at her sister, refusing to believe that she could possibly have…

The door opened, and Uncle came in leaning heavily on the nurse assisting him. "Nanako!" he yelled. Aika couldn't breathe. This couldn't be happening. "N-Nanako…?" The door opened again, and Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and Teddie ran inside, though Aika barely registered their presence.

The doctor hung his head. "I'm sorry, sir…"

"No…!" Chie gasped. She and Yukiko were sobbing by then, and Aika heard Uncle collapse to the floor.

"Damn it…" Yosuke muttered. "DAMN IT!"

"Nana-chan…" Teddie said quietly.

But Aika couldn't do anything – she was still frozen on the spot, holding Nanako's hand in both of hers, staring at the small girl on the bed who wasn't breathing anymore, the sound of the heart monitor ringing incessantly in her ears. Time seemed to slow down to a standstill, but Aika would have given anything if she could just have more time with Nanako.

Then, suddenly, Rise burst into the room. "Senpai! Senpai! Dojima-san might've gone after Namatame! Adachi-san said he was admitted to this hospital!" That snapped Aika back into reality, and she, along with Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko ran outside.

Sure enough, Adachi was waiting outside, his head hung low. "You transported him to the same hospital?" Yosuke yelled. "For crying out loud, he's the suspect in this case!"

"Wh-What are you getting mad at me for?" Adachi shot back. "This is the biggest hospital, and he's in no condition to be moved…"

"We have to find him…" Aika said quietly, almost listlessly. "Where's his room, Adachi-san?"

"I-I can't tell you that…" the detective muttered.

"Just tell us where he is already!" Kanji exploded at him. "Dojima-san's on his way, ain't he? You don't know what he's gonna do there if we don't stop him!"

"K-Kanji-kun…" Chie said. "You don't mean…"

"No…" Aika whispered. "He wouldn't…"

"H-Hold on," Adachi said. "Just what are you guys talking about?"

Kanji grabbed the collar of Adachi's shirt and lifted him about a foot in the air. "Cough it up! Where's his room?"

Adachi grunted in pain. "T-Top floor in the second surgical ward, furthest room back…" Kanji promptly dropped him, and they all ran upstairs.

"Th-This can't be happening…" Rise said shakily.

"Nanako-chan…" Naoto said quietly.

They ran into Uncle there, with two police guards and Adachi by his side. The front of his white clothes was soaked in blood, and Aika gasped. "U-Uncle!"

"Don't worry, Aika-chan," Adachi said hurriedly. "He'll be fine. Don't worry."

"L-Let me go, dammit…" Uncle groaned in pain. "I… I'm gonna make him pay…"

"Now, now, Dojima-san, you can't do that when you're bleeding to death, can you?" Adachi said teasingly. "I'll call you when you can see him, Aika-chan." And with that, the four of them turned around the corner, leaving Aika and her friends alone.

"Dojima-san…" Chie said quietly. "Was he seriously gonna…?"

Yosuke exhaled sharply, hanging his head. For some reason, they all still walked up to Namatame's room. "One of his kids is dead," Kanji said sadly. "Nothing woulda surprised me."

"Dojima-san probably knew…" Yosuke said. "… that there's little to no chance Namatame would be convicted… Damn it… He killed Senpai, and now Nanako-chan… And the bastard's gonna walk away without paying for what he did…"

But it _wasn't_ Namatame's fault… was it? To Aika, nothing made sense anymore. "That's not right!" Yukiko sobbed.

Naoto sniffled, furiously drying her eyes. "Why…?" Rise whimpered. "Why is he the one that gets to go on living?"

Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from inside Namatame's room, and the group rushed inside. The room was dark, and Namatame was crumpled on the floor, his eyes wide in horror. The window was wide open, and it didn't take long for Aika to piece everything together. Seeing Namatame like this, looking so completely lost and deranged, Aika couldn't even recognize the kind deliveryman she'd gotten to know over the past several months.

Yosuke balled his hands into fists, glowering at Namatame. "You have your life…" His voice came out as a murderous whisper. "… and now you want your freedom, too?"

"It's your fault that Nanako-chan's…!" Chie yelled.

Namatame shook his head furiously. "I-I didn't… I…"

And then, the TV in the room whirred to life, and a golden-eyed Namatame, wearing his delivery uniform, appeared on the screen. "I failed to save her," he said in a distorted voice. "It's because you got in my way."

"Wh-What the…?" Yosuke muttered. "How? The real one's right here, and we already beat his Shadow!"

"No…" Naoto said quietly. "Come to think of it, Namatame never faced his other self. And we didn't witness his Shadow returning to his body as a Persona, either… Perhaps that's why we're seeing this now."

"I failed…" said the Namatame on the Midnight Channel with a deranged smile. "But it wasn't my fault. And the law can't touch me anyway."

"Wh-What…?" the real Namatame mumbled.

"Is that what Namatame's really thinking?" Chie gasped. "Then… He wasn't deranged or anything! He knew what he was doing!"

"To hell with the law!" Yosuke yelled. "I won't ever forgive what you did!"

"N-No!" Namatame yelped. He crawled over pathetically to Aika, gripping her skirt and staring at her with pleading eyes. "A-Aika-san, I wouldn't… I really wanted to save her! She was never supposed to…!"

"You hate me because the child died, don't you?" the Namatame on the Midnight Channel taunted. "I don't care either way. Living or dying makes no difference to me. But you… you're different. You can't do such a thing. You wouldn't dare, right?" He chuckled darkly. "I'll continue 'saving' people… It's my mission!" Then the TV flickered off.

"Mission?" Yukiko echoed.

"My god…!" Naoto exclaimed.

"No!" Namatame cried. "Aika-san, please! Save me! I would never…!" He gripped her skirt more tightly.

"Get away from her!" Yosuke yelled. And then, Kanji violently lifted Namatame up by the shirt and held him threateningly in front of the TV. Namatame's hand was partially submerged, and white waves rippled from it, filling Aika with an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

Naoto walked slowly toward the TV, running her hand along its edge, carefully avoiding the screen. "This must be a luxury suite," she observed. "Most hospital wards don't have such large televisions. Why, with something like this in the room, this man could escape at any time. Although once he enters… he may find there's no way out."

"Wait a second…" Rise mumbled. "Y-You don't mean… Are you… serious…?"

"This bastard'll get what's coming to him," Kanji growled. "You just gonna turn your back and walk away?"

"That's…" Rise protested weakly. "B-But…"

"Wh-What's gotten into you guys?" Chie demanded. "This is crazy! How can we do something like that?"

"Chie!" Yosuke yelled. "Everyone… Listen to me. If we're gonna do this… now is our only shot. We won't get a second chance. At this rate, the guy's gonna get off the hook… and he'll go around 'saving' people again! You just heard what this bastard's really thinking! If that happens, it'll be just like Nanako-chan and Saki-senpai… Who knows how many innocent people will die this time? I can't just let something like that go! Someone close to me died… Her killer can't be convicted… And now I'm gonna let the same thing happen again? There's no way I can do that! It's just wrong, isn't it?"

It was as if Aika was watching the scene from somewhere up above, instead of actively participating in it. She couldn't bring herself to say or do anything. "Y-Yosuke…" Chie whispered.

"All we have to do is push him inside the TV," Yosuke said, his voice shaking with fury. "That's it. We do that one thing, and this is all over. If any of you want no part in this, just leave the room. I'm not gonna force you to stay."

"Y-Yosuke-senpai!" Rise gasped.

"Fuck it," Kanji muttered. "I'm doing it!"

"Stop it!" someone cried, and it took Aika an embarrassingly long time to realize that that someone was her. And, much too slowly, she became aware that her hand gripped Yosuke's wrist tightly, holding him back, even though Kanji was the one with Namatame at his mercy.

"What is it?" Yosuke snapped at her. "There's no time to waste! The cops could come back at any minute!"

"S-Something's not right…" Aika said quietly, her resolve wavering.

"What didn't you understand?" Yosuke yelled. "We heard that guy's true feelings on TV! Just because you had a _Social Link _with him doesn't mean—"

"Yosuke!" Chie cut him off. "Don't take it out on _her_!"

"Sh-She's right…" Yukiko said shakily. "L-Let's all calm down for a second."

"All you guys have to do is leave the room if you don't want to—" Yosuke started.

"Hey!" Rise shrieked. "Let's all take a deep breath. After what happened to Nanako-chan, and seeing Dojima-san… we're not thinking straight right now."

"Fine…" Kanji muttered, dropping Namatame unceremoniously to the floor. Aika wrapped her arms protectively around herself, fixing her eyes on the floor.

Naoto took a deep breath. "You're right. We should calm down and think rationally about this. I realize now that we've heard almost nothing from Namatame's perspective. There's no denying that this man brought great harm to Nanako-chan… But other than that, the rest comes from our assumptions based on watching the Midnight Channel a moment ago. I won't deny that we were blinded by the heat of the moment… trying to impute all responsibility to him rashly."

"The guy's not saying anything!" Yosuke protested, but in a much calmer voice. "Whatever reason he had, there's no doubt about the fact that he'd been throwing people inside the TV. It was him who put Senpai through that misery… How can we possibly understand someone who says killing people is the same as 'saving' them?"

"Failing to understand and failing to listen are rather different things," Naoto said in a low, dangerous voice.

"I-I think he talked to me about this before…" Aika said quietly, self-consciously. "He said… H-He said th-that he finally found something m-meaningful to d-do with—with his life… A-And he was so—so happy that he s-saved someone… I-I think that—that was the day Naoto d-disappeared…"

"What are you trying to say…?" Yosuke whispered.

"I-I don't think h-he's a bad person…" Aika whispered.

"There's too much we don't know," Rise said. "We can't just make such a decision when we don't know everything."

"That's right…" Kanji mused. "If we leave any unanswered questions behind, we'll just be lying to ourselves. Yeah, that ain't gonna cut it… All right, I'm convinced."

Rise sighed in relief. "Thank you… I'll thank as hard as I can, and try to help!"

Chie put her hand on Yosuke's arm comfortingly. "We all know how you feel, Yosuke. C'mon, we've accomplished this much together, haven't we?"

"Right…" Yukiko agreed. "Together."

"Yeah…" Yosuke sighed. "You're right. Sorry… and thanks. Aika, are you—"

Suddenly, the door to the hospital ward opened. "You guys?" Adachi gasped. "What're you doing? You can't be in here!"

A doctor had accompanied Adachi, and he made his way over to Namatame, who was still lying on the floor, shivering. "W-We were keeping an eye on the suspect," Naoto said in alarm. "The police officers outside seemed to have their hands full with helping Dojima-san. If Namatame were to escape, it would be a disaster for the police's reputation… and their trust in you, Adachi-san."

"I see…" Adachi said slowly. "We'll tighten security from now on, and I'll arrange for him to be transported out as soon as possible. So… If you guys could keep quiet about being in here, I'd really appreciate it…"

"Do you mind talking in the hall?" the doctor asked politely. "He really needs his rest right now."

* * *

"Okay, so there's something that's been bothering me," Yukiko said in the hospital lobby. "Why did he start killing people in the first place?"

"Well he said himself it was to 'save' them, right?" Chie asked. "So… he killed his lover in order to save her, and just kept going?"

"No," Aika said. "If he really did kill Ms. Yamano, that's not why."

"Do you know something of this, Senpai?" Naoto asked.

Aika shrugged. Her head was throbbing mercilessly, though whether it had to do with the fact that she hadn't been feeling well in general, or with all the stress that had accumulated that evening, she didn't know. "He told me before… Misuzu Hiiragi cheated on him first, and she got pregnant. Then, Namatame-san _got involved_ with Ms. Yamano, but he felt so guilty about it that he told Ms. Hiiragi right away, and then she filed for a divorce and told the news station where Ms. Yamano worked about it. But I'm pretty sure Namatame-san still stayed with Ms. Yamano, even though his wife was kind of screwing her over."

"So… he killed her to save her from everyone screwing her over?" Chie asked.

"No!" Aika snapped. "That's not…" She sighed harshly and stood up – the atmosphere felt too suffocating for her to function properly. "I think I'll head outside for a bit… get some fresh air…" The cold air hit her like a punch in the gut, and she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering despite the fact that she was wearing a jacket and her warmest scarf. She sat down on the curb, tapping her toes together and staring listlessly up at the snow falling slowly from the sky.

_"If it snows, can we make a snowman?"_

_ "Yeah, of course. We'll make a big one… and we'll even get Uncle to help."_

And, before she could process what was happening, she was sobbing, as everything that had happened that evening caught up to her at once. She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in them, unable to stop crying. Some time later, she could feel someone sit down next to her, but she didn't care how pathetic she probably looked. She lifted her head, only to see Yosuke there next to her, staring down at her in concern "Are you okay?" All she could do was shake her head. He pulled her into his arms, just holding her and letting her cry. He didn't say anything, but Aika couldn't tell if she wanted him to.

And for a while, they just sat there, not moving, not talking, and Aika slowly ran out of tears. When she was done, she straightened up and dried her eyes with the backs of her hands and hiccupped. "Wh-What if I was wrong…?" she whispered. "What if Namatame-san really is the culprit?" And then the tears were back. "What if I just threw away our only chance at stopping all of this?" Aika leaned into him as he hugged her more tightly. She really didn't want to start crying again, but her eyes were already watering.

"There's nothing we can do now but think this through as much as we can," Yosuke said gently, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "And we'll figure something out – something better than killing him, at least."

Then, Naoto strolled outside. "Aika-senpai, there's a nurse here who wants to speak with you."

Yosuke turned to look at the first year over his shoulder. "Can it wait?" he asked.

"She said it's urgent," Naoto said simply.

"Wh-What…?" Aika whispered, standing up and sniffling as she dried her eyes yet again. She exchanged confused looks with Yosuke and followed Naoto into the hospital, where the rest of the group hovered around a single nurse – incidentally, the same nurse that Aika had met when she first came to visit Nanako.

The nurse smiled brightly at them all. "Oh good, you're all here. Please come with me immediately."

* * *

Aika was sure she was hallucinating. Maybe she'd come down with a fever sometime over the course of the day, and this was all some sort of illusion brought about by delirium. Maybe she was dreaming. This couldn't be _real_ – Nanako's heart monitor beeping steadily, the small girl's chest rising and falling, her hand warm with life. "Nanako-chan came around," she only half-heard the doctor explain to the group.

"Wh-What did you just say?" Rise gasped.

"Nanako-chan's… alive?" Yukiko mumbled.

"A-Are you serious?" Yosuke said shakily.

"It's very rare to be resuscitated after one's heart and lungs fail, but it does happen," the doctor explained. "But until I know why she collapsed in the first place, I can't say for sure how she'll recover from here on… Still, Nanako-chan's a fighter, and she's trying desperately to stay alive."

Aika was crying again, only this time, it was out of happiness. "Thank you… Thank you so much!"

"S-So this isn't a joke?" Yosuke said, his voice shaking so much that Aika was almost positive that he was crying. "You're actually telling the truth?" And, as it turned out, everyone, Kanji included, was crying. Aika threw her arms around Yosuke's waist and buried her face into his chest, and he hugged her back as well.

"You all should go home for the night," the doctor advised. "I'll speak with Dojima-san tomorrow about Nanako-chan's treatment. It started snowing a little while ago, so be careful not to catch a cold."

Yosuke pulled away slightly, though his arms were still around her. "Wait, where's Teddie? I noticed he didn't come with us when we went to Namatame's room."

Chie sniffled. "You're right… That's weird. I figured he wouldn't move from Nanako-chan's side…"

"Wait, he has his cell with him!" Yosuke said. "I'll call him once we're outside." Aika left the hospital with her friends in a daze, still not entirely convinced that Nanako was going to be okay. Maybe she really had been dreaming… She remembered going home that night and collapsing into her futon right after changing because she was so exhausted.

But then, a short while later, she found herself in the Velvet Room. "Welcome," Igor greeted pleasantly.

"Wh-What am I doing here?" Aika mumbled, staring down at her hands.

"Do not be alarmed," Igor said calmly. "You are fast asleep in the real world. I have summoned you within your dreams."

"But… why?" Aika asked. "I don't have the Wild Card anymore."

"But I hear you promised Margaret to come visit nonetheless," Igor said. "Now then, my dear… Your journey has taken you quite a distance so far. Do you believe you will be able to solve this mystery?"

"We're so close…" Aika whispered. "We're almost there – I can feel it."

Igor's grin widened. "Splendid. The precise destination of this vehicle… That, too, is getting rather hard to judge."

"Wait, you mean this thing is actually _going_ somewhere?"

"If we end up driving blindly, we may end up leading you farther away from the mystery you must reach," Igor said cryptically.

If this were reality instead of a dream, Aika probably would be nursing an Aoandon-status headache. "You're not making any sense."

"Let us take a moment to reflect on your journey, shall we?" Igor said. "That is the reason that I summoned you here tonight."

"Allow me," Margaret said, smiling gently. She held her hand out toward Aika, and there was a blinding white light that forced Aika to close her eyes. Voices started echoing in her mind – familiar voices.

"I think you'll find the answer to everything that's going on," said Uncle's voice. "It won't be easy – hell, it hasn't been so far – but you'll do it. I know you can."

"Though I _want _you to save the world as well, I cannot allow you to sacrifice your life to do so," Margaret's voice echoed in her mind.

"Wh-What is this…?" Aika whispered.

"We are experiencing the words engraved into your memory during your journey," Igor explained.

"Failing to understand and failing to listen are very different things."

"There's nothing we can do now but think this through as much as we can."

"If we leave any unanswered questions behind, we'll just be lying to ourselves."

"I'll think as hard as I can, and try to help!"

"C'mon, we've accomplished this much together, haven't we?"

"Right… Together!"

Aika didn't even realize she was crying until the light faded, and she sniffled and dried her eyes immediately. "Do not fear," Igor said. "You have comrades with you as well – those heading in the same direction through this dense fog." And, suddenly, the Velvet Room, which always seemed to be moving forward, stopped.

"We'll be parked for the moment while I confirm our current heading," Margaret said.

"As I mentioned previously," Igor continued, "this year will signal a great change in your life. Though there isn't much time left, it can be worth your while to take the time to stop and reflect."

"People are like water flowing in a river," Margaret said. "There is only one stream, but all who pass through it are affected differently. Some travel fast, some change their course… Experiencing countless events as they travel down the river of time…"

"The state of this room reflects the scenery of your heart," Igor said. Aika stared down at her feet – didn't everyone say that her Shadow's dungeon was a train station, of all things? Of _course_ her version of the Velvet Room would be a moving vehicle… "Perhaps this may be a time for contemplation rather than action."

Then, the doorbell rang. _Wait… what?_ The Velvet Room faded before Aika's eyes, as the doorbell kept ringing and ringing. When she woke up, she was lying in her futon exactly how she was when she first fell asleep. The doorbell was ringing, over and over, and Aika hauled herself up, which took way more effort than it should have because her body felt so heavy. She was shivering too, and her head was throbbing, no doubt due to her mental trip to the Velvet Room the previous night – and she'd really need that kotatsu soon.

She dragged her feet downstairs, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Though she'd slept for longer than usual, it felt like she hadn't rested at all. She opened the front door, revealing a panicked-looking Yosuke. "Teddie's missing!" he said immediately.

That sufficiently woke Aika up. "Wh-What?"

"I looked all over the neighborhood, but I couldn't find him anywhere… And he was acting all weird lately, too…"

"Maybe he went to the other side," Aika suggested.

"Rise and the others are checking in there right now," Yosuke said. "I'm sorry… you must be exhausted, but—"

"Just give me a minute to get dressed," Aika said much more confidently than she felt. "We'll head down to Junes."

Yosuke sighed in relief. "Thank you…"

* * *

"It's no use, man," Kanji grumbled. "We can't find him."

"No luck for me either," Rise mumbled. "I didn't sense anything over there. The fog's so dense, it might be affecting my readings… I'm sorry…"

"He didn't seriously go back to his world, did he?" Yosuke asked. "He kept asking us if he could stay, b-but…"

Aika's trip to the Velvet Room the previous night suddenly occurred to her, and Igor's words echoed in her mind.

_"Perhaps this is a time for contemplation rather than action…"_

"L-Let's think about this for a minute," Aika said shakily.

Yosuke sighed. "I guess that's all we can do for now… He plays dumb a lot, but he's still attached to us deep down… He wouldn't disappear without saying anything, right?"

"I'm worried for Teddie myself, but let's trust in him and await his return," Naoto suggested. "Right now, we must concentrate on the case. It won't be long before Namatame is transferred to another location. We must hurry, or we will miss our only chance to get his perspective on this."

"W-Wait a minute!" Yosuke protested. "The last person to disappear like this was Aika, and she _definitely_ wasn't okay! What makes you think—"

"It was different for me, wasn't it?" Aika asked. "You all knew where I was, but you chose to come for me later. But we don't know where Teddie is right now…" Aika clapped her hands together. "L-Let's just review the facts for now," she said. "Maybe we'll figure out something about both the case _and_ Teddie."

"Very well," Naoto said briskly. "Of all the victims, only two were killed: Ms. Yamano, the announcer, and Saki-san. From the documents we found in the car, we know Namatame had some sort of dealings with them. After that, there were multiple attempted murders, in which we were targeted… It was only when he took Nanako-chan that we caught him in the act, identifying his modus operandi in the process."

"When I hear you put it like that, sounds like the dude's guilty," Kanji said.

"But that still doesn't explain what happened to Aika," Yukiko said.

"But…" Chie protested. "Adachi-san said that Aika jumped in the TV after she saw Nanako-chan on the Midnight Channel."

"Yeah, but she'd remember it if she did that," Rise pointed out. "Maybe the fact that she _doesn't_ remember means that there's more to her disappearance…"

"Can we just leave me out of this for now?" Aika asked. "What happened doesn't matter if I can't remember it."

"Not now, at least," Naoto said. "We will contemplate your situation further later. Anyway, as a result of Namatame's arrest, the police admitted that Mitsuo Kubo was a mere copycat killer."

"That's what he told me," Aika said. "I went to visit him a few times. But… it doesn't make sense for Namatame-san to kill Ms. Yamano… I-I think he really did love her…"

"So either he's completely nuts, or we're misunderstanding something," Rise grumbled.

"You lost me," Kanji said flatly.

"She's trying to say that if Namatame really is sane, then there may be facts in the case we don't know about yet," Yukiko said helpfully.

"I think we're thinking too normal," Yosuke said. "Nothing about that world makes sense, so we should try thinking outside the box."

"He called that place a 'wonderful world'…" Naoto mused.

"Namatame-san's honest, though," Aika said. "Maybe he really did think he was saving people?"

"But by killing them?" Chie asked. "I don't think so."

"There's something that's been bothering me for a while," Yukiko said. "When we encountered him, he said, 'You're the ones I saved. Don't worry, I'll save this girl too.'"

"Right, and then his diary said that Aika would've wanted him to save Nanako-chan too," Yosuke added.

"So if he saves people by killing them, wouldn't he have failed to save us?" Yukiko pointed out.

"Wait a minute," Aika said. "Okay, so Namatame-san said that you all were the people he saved. And he didn't say anything about failing to save everyone? So that means…"

"If he thinks that salvation comes only through death, then his words make no sense," Naoto said. "And another thing – the Namatame on the Midnight Channel said he failed to save Nanako-chan."

"Well, maybe he really was trying to save the victims by putting them inside the TV," Chie said quietly.

"That _has _to be it," Aika agreed, nodding.

"But he's still the one who threw in Saki-senpai and that announcer, right?" Yosuke asked, a hint of desperation to his voice. "Sure we haven't nailed down his motives, but that doesn't change the fact that he killed them!"

Aika stood up suddenly, as the answer occurred to her. "I think I've figured it out! Well… sort of. Okay, let's just assume that I didn't jump inside the TV after Nanako showed up on the Midnight Channel – that would mean that someone pushed me in, right? If that's what really happened, then I think that _someone _killed Saki-senpai and Ms. Yamano. But…"

"That's all just speculation," Naoto pointed out. "There should be something more conclusive that will prove, once and for all, whether Namatame is the killer or not."

Aika sat down and sighed. The answer came to her quickly. "The warning letters," she said. "'Don't rescue anymore' and 'If you don't stop this time, someone close will be put in and killed'…"

"Isn't that kind of odd?" Rise asked. "Would someone who thinks he's saving people by killing them write 'don't rescue' or 'kill'?"

"Yeah, and the 'will be put in and killed' part doesn't make sense either," Kanji added. "If the killer was writing it, wouldn't it be more like 'I'll put in and kill'?"

"So Namatame-san didn't write them!" Aika said. It should have made her happy, but she couldn't explain why it filled her with a horrible sense of dread.

"Only the killer would write such a letter and deliver it to Dojima-san's house, right?" Yukiko asked. "Since someone else wrote it, couldn't that mean…?"

"Then Senpai's theory falls into place, assuming that she didn't just blindly rush to the other side when Nanako-chan was kidnapped," Naoto said. "The person who may have pushed her in… that person wrote those warning letters. That is the culprit. This third party, who observed everything that transpired, who orchestrated this entire case. My god… All this time, and I assumed there was only one culprit."

Aika shivered, though only partially from the cold. If someone really did push her inside the TV, then it meant that someone tried to kill her. This person knew where she lived, and he knew exactly how to frighten her so that she wouldn't think of confronting him. And since the previous night, the image of Namatame with his hand submerged partially in the TV, with the screen rippling around it, remained stubbornly in her mind. "Aika!" Yosuke's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she stared at each of her friends. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Senpai, are you feeling okay?" Rise asked concernedly. "I remember you saying you didn't feel well yesterday morning, and then all that stuff with Nanako-chan happened… Maybe you really did catch a cold, and it got worse?"

"Maybe…" Aika mumbled. As if on cue, she sneezed, and she finally paid attention to just how badly her head was throbbing. Maybe it was like what happened to Nanako earlier… "Either way, I want to be there when we talk to Namatame-san."

"Okay, but promise us you'll take it easy for a while afterwards," Chie said. "You can't keep getting sick like this because you never let your body recover properly."

"I know," Aika said, nodding. "I will."

"Then let us hurry," Naoto said. "The sooner we finish our interrogation, the sooner Senpai can get some rest."

* * *

Aika led the group into Namatame's room, clasping her hands tightly together. The anxiety had only partially to do with the possibility that Namatame really was responsible for the entire case, but she also felt incredibly guilty for doubting him at all. "N-Namatame-san…? U-Um…" The deliveryman failed to even acknowledge her presence, choosing to stare at the covered window instead. While there was always a sort of heaviness in his shoulders, it was more profound now.

"Namatame-san, there's something we'd like to ask you," Naoto said. "It's tempting to think that you were the culprit behind this entire case. And, to be honest… there are many in this town who hope you are."

"Namatame-san, I don't think you did it," Aika said earnestly. "I never did. But… We need to know the truth. Please… C-Can you answer our questions?"

"Aika-san…" Namatame whispered, and his eyes looked so clear that Aika couldn't understand why everyone thought he wasn't mentally sound. "Y-Yes… I-It's the least I can do after…"

Aika couldn't help but smile. "Thank you," she said, bowing our head. "Um… So I wasn't there when this happened, but apparently you confessed that you did throw a lot of people inside the TV. So… Who was the first person you…?"

Namatame pointed a shaking finger at Yukiko. "Her," he said faintly.

"Huh?" Yukiko gasped. "M-Me?"

"S-So you _didn't_ kill Ms. Yamano or Saki-senpai then," Aika sighed in relief.

Namatame shook his head. "I couldn't save them…"

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled, unsure of what to say.

"Allow me to ask you this," Naoto interjected. "Is killing people the same to you as 'saving' them?"

"No…" Namatame replied. "If no one saves them, they'll be killed… That's why… I put them in there…"

"Then tell me if my estimation is correct so far," Naoto said. "After discovering the Yamano and Konishi incidents, you realized an appearance on the Midnight Channel meant certain death. Thus, to 'save' her from that fate, you kidnapped Yukiko Amagi… You couldn't let her be killed, so you threw her into the TV, preventing the killer in this world from reaching her."

"A-And…" Aika piped up. "You just kept doing that for everyone else… right?" Namatame nodded, and Aika's eyes widened. "So… You really _were_ trying to save everyone! B-But that means…"

"So now we know for sure that there's another killer who murdered the first two victims…" Rise said disbelievingly.

"The same guy who threw Senpai into the TV, right?" Kanji asked. "Maybe. If Senpai didn't just jump in herself."

Namatame's eyes widened in horror. "A-Aika-san… You were…"

"Do you know who it was?" Aika asked.

"I have no idea…" Namatame said quietly.

"Okay, let me ask something," Yosuke said. "What's the deal with the warning letters, huh?"

"What are you talking about…?" Namatame asked.

"So you didn't send them…" Aika said quietly. "Um…"

"Why did you enter the TV?" Yosuke asked. "After you and Dojima-san's accident, you went into the TV with Nanako-chan. Why?"

"I didn't know…" Namatame whispered. "I never thought… it would be that kind of place…"

"As I thought," Naoto said quietly to herself.

Aika sighed in relief. "Thank goodness… You're innocent."

"Y-You believe me?" Namatame asked, twisting and turning in his hospital bed, scrambling to get out. "D-Did they find him? Did they find the one who did such cruel things? M-Mayumi…"

Aika grabbed his wrist to stop him. "Namatame-san!"

"Please calm down," Naoto said. "Our ability to find the culprit rests on you, especially since Aika-senpai herself isn't entirely sure of what transpired that night."

"We _did_ blame you for everything at first," Yosuke said, "but now, I think we can accept whatever you got to tell us… as truth."

"Namatame-san…" Aika said. "Please, tell us everything you can. We're the only ones who can actually understand."

Namatame sighed. "All right." His voice came out so clearly that Aika couldn't help but smile. "Soon after my affair with Mayumi became common knowledge, I returned to my parents' home, as if to run away from the scandal… and I started drinking heavily to drown my anxieties. Mayumi and I swore to stand up for each other and protect each other… but after some time, I couldn't reach her at all. She'd been disgraced on all the afternoon shows and forced to resign from the program she was on. I-It was my fault… I was so weak, so naïve to think that Misuzu wouldn't let this go, even though she did the same to me… The least I could do was apologize to Mayumi, but I couldn't even do that. I lost the will to do anything. Then, one day, the rumor I heard some time ago came back to me. Since I had nothing better to do, I sat down in front of the TV and watched my own reflection…

"And all of a sudden, there was Mayumi. She looked like she was calling to me for help… When I reached out unthinkingly to touch her… my arm disappeared into the TV, as if I had dipped it into a pool of water. I was so shocked that I lost my balance, and I nearly fell face-first into the TV. I was so scared… I couldn't understand what had happened. I thought maybe I'd gone insane… In the end, I decided to think of it as just a dream, and I went back to the city the next day after finishing work."

Aika smiled bitterly. "I can relate to that… It was the same way for me."

"The next day, when I got to work… I was fired on the spot, as I expected. That wasn't what broke me, though…" He wrapped his arms protectively around himself, his eyes widening in horror. "It was Mayumi being found dead. And not just that, but it had happened in my own hometown." He shivered, and Aika averted her eyes downward. "I was dumbstruck… But later on, I remembered the image of Mayumi I'd seen that night. 'Was it not a dream…? Could it really have been an SOS from Mayumi…?' I hadn't touched another TV, because the first time was so terrifying, but I decided to try it again…"

"And it worked," Aika finished. "It wasn't a dream."

"So that image…" Namatame whispered. "Was it something Mayumi showed me, calling for help…? I remembered that when Mayumi was alive, she was chasing a rumor about some bizarre TV program. I'd heard about it before, but I thought it was just an urban legend. But then Mayumi appeared on it, and later turned up dead. The more I thought about it, the harder it was to believe that the two events were unrelated. Soon after that, I came back to Inaba to answer the police's questions."

"Saki Konishi," Naoto said. "Did you meet with her at all?"

"She appeared on the Midnight Channel, and she looked like she was calling for help… just like Mayumi."

"So you thought she was gonna die too…" Chie guessed.

"I'd been following all the news about Mayumi, so I noticed right away that she was the one who found Mayumi's body," Namatame explained. "I didn't want her to die the way Mayumi did… I was consumed with the idea of rescuing her. Then, little by little, her image on the screen came sharper and sharper into focus."

Yosuke exhaled sharply. "How did you find out it was her?"

"After I came back, my father couldn't bear to see me in such low spirits, and he gave me a job with the family business," Namatame said. "I met that girl when I delivered a package to the liquor store… I told her to be careful… But that same night, on the TV, she looked like she was being engulfed by some black shape… She was writhing in pain… I tried to warn the police, but nobody answered. The next day, they found her dead." Aika squeezed Yosuke's hand comfortingly. "I knew she was gonna be murdered, but I couldn't save her… I'm sorry… I couldn't forgive myself for doing nothing! Then another girl appeared on TV…" He looked straight at Yukiko. "That was you. My opponent was a murderer who left no clues about his identity. I thought hard about what I could do to protect her from someone like that. The girl inside the TV looked as if she was smiling at me… And… that's when it hit me. I apparently had the power to go through to the TV screen to the other side… Then what if I put her into the TV and give her shelter there before the killer gets her…?"

"N-Namatame-san…" Yukiko said quietly. "You… You really tried to save my life…"

"I thought that no matter what kind of place it might be, it's better than being slaughtered," Namatame said. "Once things calmed down, I could just… let you out again. If you were inside the TV, then no one could get to you, and you wouldn't be killed. But there was a big problem… If I explained the situation to the victim, they'd never understand. I'd already tried that and failed miserably. It seemed the only thing I could do was take them away… kidnap them. I-It was my mission."

"Mission?" Chie shrieked. "Give me a break! You never stopped and wondered about any of this?"

"Ch-Chie!" Aika squeaked.

"I thought I was the only one who could help them," Namatame said sadly. "I tried calling the police, but they didn't believe me. I knew the area well, thanks to my job. I had a large truck, and I could move around without suspicion. I thought my job as a deliveryman would be the perfect cover for my mission. I thought no one else could do it… But… Are you telling me I wasn't saving them?"

Aika stared downward. "No…"

"If a person is still within the TV world when the fog appears here, they will die," Naoto said. "Beginning with Yukiko-san, the people you thought you had been saving were, in fact, in mortal peril. It was my friends here who really saved us all."

"I had a feeling that was it," Namatame sighed. "When I went after Aika-san's sister and went inside the TV myself… For the first time, I had some doubts about myself. The police were after me, so I had to get away… But I still had to do everything I could to protect that little girl – for Aika-san, if not for anyone else."

Aika covered her mouth, her eyes widening in surprise. "So you… You were…" _You were risking your own life to save Nanako._

"But the TV world was completely different than I'd imagined…" Namatame whimpered. "Such an abominable, grotesque place. I knew that the four of you that I had 'saved' went back to your normal lives, so I didn't realize how terrible that world was. I never knew… you couldn't even get out of that place on your own… No. That's a cowardly way to put it. I'd probably already begun to realize that it was a dangerous place… But inside the TV, I was going insane… And you know the rest. When I came to, I was lying in a hospital bed." Namatame sighed. "I'm so, so sorry… I was trying to save you all, but I ended up doing just the opposite… I'm such a fool. I always wanted to enter the world of politics, and become useful to society… But after losing my job and the woman that I loved, all I had left was this power. I convinced myself that that world was some sort of sanctuary, and that I was a hero… I still saw them on TV, but I never did anything to protect them… I'm to blame for all of this!"

"There's nothing you can do about that now, Namatame-san…" Aika said quietly.

"I suppose so," Namatame replied. "But the things I've done are too serious to be brushed aside like that…" He hung his head. "I have no intention of running away from my crimes. I'm prepared to face the consequences. Kidnapping is already a serious crime… and on top of that, I put all those lives in danger."

"It's not your fault that you didn't understand the Midnight Channel and the other side," Aika said. "We don't understand it either…"

"We must apologize as well," Naoto said. "Had we let our emotions blind us to the truth, we would have piled all the responsibility on you."

"I guess from your point of view, once people stopped dying, you were 'saving' people," Yosuke said. "The more you did it, the more you really believed that you were preventing their deaths."

"I'm sorry…" Namatame said again. "I've caused you all so much trouble… If there's anything I can do to make this up to you, please let me know."

Just then, the door opened, and a policeman rushed inside. "H-Hey! What're you all doing in here?"

"My apologies," Naoto said briskly. "We'll be leaving now."

* * *

Aika wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered. She felt so much worse than she did that morning, but she still insisted on visiting Nanako at least once. The little girl was breathing heavily, wincing in pain, and Aika had to admit that she thought at least for a second that Nanako wouldn't make it. "Th-This was the last place we saw Teddie, right?" she asked.

"Yeah…" Chie said. "He was so worried about Nanako-chan…"

"How can he flake out like this when we have to find the real killer?" Kanji ranted.

"The police consider the matter closed," Naoto said. "We have to conduct the investigation ourselves from this point forward. Let's revisit Ms. Yamano and Saki-san's incidents and see if we can turn up fresh details."

"But it's been over six months," Chie protested. "Wouldn't the trail have gone cold by now?"

"But there's still _my_ case," Aika said. "I'm sorry… I'm trying to remember, but nothing's coming…" Her nose tickled suddenly, and she sneezed. "S-Sorry…"

"Hey, you should probably get home," Yukiko said. "You said you weren't feeling well before, right?"

"I'll walk you back," Yosuke said. "So… How about this? Aika's going to be out of commission for a little bit, so until she gets better, the rest of us will ask around town and see if we can learn something new from what people remember."

"Sounds good," Chie agreed. And so, they parted ways outside the hospital, and Yosuke insisted on carrying Aika on his back all the way back to the Dojima residence.

Aika rested her head on top of his and sighed. "Hey…" Yosuke said, lifting his head slightly. "You're burning up!"

"I know," Aika moaned. "I'll just take some cold medicine and sleep. I'll probably be fine by tomorrow."

"Even if you are, you still should take another day off to rest," Yosuke advised. "Otherwise you'll get sick again." By now, they reached the house, and Yosuke let Aika down so she could open the door. They made their way upstairs – while Aika went to change and unroll her futon, Yosuke went to the bathroom to retrieve a thermometer and some medicine. Aika flopped down on her futon and almost fell asleep. "Don't go to sleep yet," Yosuke said hurriedly as he quickly walked into the room and crouched down next to her. He handed her the thermometer first, and then opened the bottle of medicine and let two capsules fall onto his hand.

The thermometer beeped, and Aika pulled it out from under her arm. She groaned when she saw the _38.8_ that flashed at her, handing it reluctantly to Yosuke. "Ouch," was all he said. "Yeah, you should definitely stay in bed for a while." He pressed the capsules into her hand and handed her a glass of water. When Aika swallowed the pills, a wave of exhaustion hit her like a punch in the stomach, and she felt herself sinking quickly. The last thing she saw before falling asleep entirely was Yosuke's face hovering above hers…

… and, when she opened her eyes again, she was in the Velvet Room – only Igor and Margaret were nowhere to be found, and she didn't feel nearly as tired and ill as she did before, which could only mean that she was dreaming. Actually, the only person in the room was…

"Teddie!" She ran over to the bear, who just barely turned around to face her, and hugged him tightly. "You're okay! Why did you just disappear like that? We were so worried…"

"A-Aika-chan?" Teddie said slowly. "Where… am I? Why are you here…?"

"I think this is a dream," Aika said. "Don't worry – we're safe for now."

Teddie's smile widened. "So I really _did_ visit you in your dreams…" But his statement lacked the usual vigor that such statements from him usually did.

"I think I might've visited _you_ here," Aika said. "Maybe. I don't know."

Teddie sighed. "Neither do I… There are so many things I don't know about." Teddie looked downward sadly. "Aika-chan? Can I tell you something?"

Aika sat down next to him, staring at him seriously, and nodded. "Yes, of course."

Teddie hung his head. "All this time… I've been thinking about who I really am. But I couldn't find the answer… I was 'no one' from the start…"

"No…"

"Humans live in the other world, and Shadows live in this world… From the beginning… that's all there was to it."

"Y-You're not saying…"

The look of complete anguish on his face made her heart break. "I was just a Shadow in that world… I figured something out. That day, at the hospital, I realized that I really can't do anything. As soon as I thought that, I lost consciousness. Then, when I woke up, I was inside the fog. Shadows can't stay in the human world… They aren't allowed. I walked and walked, but there was nothing all around me… Just when I started thinking that I couldn't go anywhere, I heard the a car… And then I was here…"

"Teddie…" Aika sighed.

"I remember lots of things now," Teddie said sadly. "My world is a place shaped by human thoughts. One day, a Shadow living in that world awakened to human emotions. But humans and Shadows are completely different entities…" Teddie put his hands on his head, and Aika knew that he'd be crying right now if he could. "… so he made himself forget that he was a Shadow… He wanted to forget… He wanted people to like him… And that's how he came to look like this…"

"Teddie…"

"I really am stupid. What the other Teddie said before… it was all true. No matter how much I search for myself, I have no self… There's no 'me' to begin with. I'm just a Shadow that took a different form so humans would like me… It would've been better if I had never remembered, but I did…" Aika hugged him tightly, but he didn't hug her back. How he felt right now – it was similar to how she felt when she first met her Shadow, so she could relate, to a certain extent. "I'll… probably turn back into a regular Shadow soon… Aika-chan? One day, when you meet Nana-chan in heaven, apologize for me… Tell her… I'm sorry I couldn't do anything… Tell her I'm really sorry…"

"But Teddie…" Aika interjected. "You _saved_ her."

Teddie's eyes widened. "Huh? R-Really?"

"Yeah!" Aika told him. "She's okay. She's not dead."

"Nana-chan's… That's wonderful… I'm so glad…" He chuckled. "Glad that I could at least hear that."

"T-Teddie?"

"My heart feels so much lighter now… I'm starting to feel sleepy… What a strange place… It feels so soothing… It's not like my world. Something just feels so nostalgic about this place… Could this be your dream world, Aika-chan?"

"I have no idea," Aika answered honestly. "This place doesn't make much sense to me either."

"But…" Teddie said slowly. "I wonder why I met you here… What am I supposed to do now?"

"We need to look forward now," Aika said. "We're so close to solving this case, and we really need your help."

"But I don't know what to look for or how to find it… No matter how hard I think, there's too many things my little brain can't understand…" He smiled. "But I do understand one thing now… I'm glad I met you, Aika-chan."

Aika smiled back, stroking his fur. "I'm glad I met you too, Teddie."

Teddie stood up and turned away from her, his expression solemn. "But I have to go now."

"Wh-What?"

"This is your place… It doesn't seem like somewhere that I'd be allowed to stay… Goodbye… Aika-chan…"

"T-Teddie?" But then there was a bright flash of light, and Teddie was gone. "Teddie! No!" When Aika could finally see again, Igor and Margaret were sitting before her, as they normally would be. "T-Teddie… Where is he? What happened?"

Igor smiled cryptically. "It seems the words in your memory weren't the only things you summoned here," he said. "This is a room for guests who have an ego that can be nurtured… Shadows – mere fragments broken off from the ego – have no place here."

"S-So you just threw him out?" Aika cried.

"The water's strength has moved a single stone that had stopped, returning it once again into the flow," Igor continued, chuckling. "Very interesting…"

Aika sank to her knees, suddenly exhausted, and she vaguely wondered if the real world and the Velvet Room were blending together. "Things are about to come to a head," Margaret said.

"There is no reason to tarry here for long," Igor said. "It is time we continued onward to our destination."

Margaret nodded. "We're ready to go. Let us depart."

Igor chuckled as the Velvet Room started moving. "You are quite the unusual guest, my dear. You forsook the very ability that set you apart, and yet here you are. But now, it is time for you to return." He chuckled again. "I am even more intrigued now as to where this is all headed.

"We will eagerly await your next visit, Master Aika," Margaret said. And then, the Velvet Room faded before Aika's eyes.

Consciousness returned to her slowly, and her eyelids felt so heavy that it was an effort in and of itself to open them. While she still didn't feel well, she felt much better than she did before. She glanced at her alarm clock, taking note of the _15:00 _it read. _I only slept for a few hours…? _When she finally regarded her phone, she saw a few missed calls from Yosuke – all from the previous night. At that, she bolted upright. _I slept through the day? _But then there was a rush of vertigo, and she collapsed back onto her futon. Throwing an arm over her forehead, she sighed. Though the headache, exhaustion, and chills were gone, she still felt feverish and ill.

She sat up again slowly and reached for the thermometer that Yosuke helpfully kept nearby. A few seconds later, _37.4_ blinked back at her, and she sighed in relief. If she took another day to rest, she'd be completely fine in no time. She lay back down and threw an arm over her forehead, staring up at the ceiling. Her friends were no doubt still asking around town for any information on the first two incidents they could find, and if Aika couldn't participate, then the least she could do was think about the case and try to remember just what happened the night Nanako appeared on the Midnight Channel.

She squeezed her eyes shut and ran through the events in her head. _I got the warning letter, and Uncle saw it, so he took me to the police station. I told him everything, and he left to get a tape recorder so I could tell him again. Then Nanako appeared on the Midnight Channel, and… I'm missing something here._ She backtracked, and slowly, more details came back to her. _I was crying because I was so scared, so Uncle told Adachi-san to get me some water. Then Adachi-san came back right after I finished telling Uncle everything, before he went to get a tape recorder. He was there when Nanako appeared on the Midnight Channel, so he'd know what happened…_ A shiver ran down her spine, completely unrelated to the fever. _But he told everyone that I jumped in the TV myself… but if that's not the case, then what was he trying to cover up by lying to everyone…? _The answer was obvious, though Aika didn't want to believe it. _He'd only lie if… if _he_ pushed me in himself…_ She covered her face with both her hands. _Wait, no… That's wrong. Adachi-san wouldn't…_

She groaned, and her head started to throb. _Start at the beginning. I got the warning letter, and Uncle saw it, so he took me to the police station. I was so scared that I was crying and I couldn't talk properly, so Uncle told Adachi-san to get me some water. So Adachi-san wasn't there when I told Uncle everything, because he came back after I finished. He didn't know what was going on, so he _couldn't_ have pushed me into the TV… _Then an image struck her – a hand accidently submerged inside the TV, the screen shimmering. _That only happened with Namatame-san, though… when Yosuke and Kanji were ready to kill him… But come to think of it, that bothered me then, too. Why…?_ Aika sighed as her cellphone vibrated, and she answered without checking to see who was calling. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," she heard Yosuke say on the other line.

"Wait, hold on," Aika said before he could get another word in. "How long has it been since we talked to Namatame-san? I kind of lost track of time."

"About a day," Yosuke replied.

Aika smacked her forehead. "I don't believe this… I really slept for a whole day…"

"Wait, seriously?" Yosuke asked incredulously. "I mean, I tried calling you yesterday, but you didn't pick up, so I figured you were sleeping, but… Seriously, you never woke up until now?"

"I know…" Aika moaned.

"Well are you feeling better, at least?"

"Yeah, a lot better," Aika replied. "I still have a slight fever, though."

"Okay, then you should take it easy today," Yosuke advised. "Otherwise, you'll get sick again."

"Yeah…" Aika sighed. "Any luck with the investigation?"

"Not really… We're gonna meet up soon to discuss what we found… or what we _didn't_ find…"

"Why don't you all come over? I'd like to hear what you guys have to say, even if you didn't find anything. And… I sort of have a new theory."

"Really? Okay then! See you soon!"

* * *

Chie flopped on the couch in Aika's room as soon as she entered. "I'm seriously pooped…" she moaned. "This stuff's a lot harder when you don't have a badge to flash… I walked around for two days, and I still couldn't hear anything good."

Yukiko sat down gingerly by Chie's feet. "It was the same for me. There was absolutely no talk about the case whatsoever, let alone the true culprit."

Rise lay down on the futon next to Aika. "Ditto for me. Actually, in my case, I kept getting bombarded with questions and couldn't get them onto the main subject at all…" She sighed. "The killer must be pretty good to pull this off without being seen in such a small town…"

"Senpai, have you eaten anything?" Naoto asked.

"Yeah, we're hungry," Kanji agreed. "We didn't even get lunch."

Come to think of it, Aika _did_ feel hungry, which was probably a good sign. "I haven't eaten anything since yesterday…"

"Let's get delivery then!" Chie said excitedly. She pulled out her cellphone and called Aiya's, and everyone told her what they wanted to eat as she ordered. And no one said a word until everyone was finished eating. "Okay then," Chie said once everyone was done. "Let's share what we learned… Even if it wasn't much."

"The guy I talked to thought the case ended when they caught Mitsuo," Rise said.

"At least you got _something_," Yosuke grumbled. "The person I talked to just kept going on and on and on about how time flies because the cases were so long ago."

"The person I spoke with was convinced that Namatame was the true culprit," Naoto said.

"I asked Naoki what he thought," Kanji said. "He had no frickin' clue…"

"So, to sum up," Chie said, "there really was no new information. The end?"

"The police had an unusually large number of investigators in their initial investigation of the first two incidents," Naoto said. "To find facts that even they overlooked would be difficult indeed, now that over half a year has passed. There wasn't a single report of suspicious persons being witnessed to begin with. Ms. Yamano had ardent fans whereas Saki-san didn't, but otherwise the conditions are the same."

"Oh yeah, another thing," Kanji said. "Every time I tried to ask about the case, people ignored me and kept ranting about the damn fog."

"Yeah…" Rise agreed. "That or the Midnight Channel."

"Aika mentioned that she thought of something before," Yosuke quipped.

"What is it, Senpai?" Naoto asked. "There isn't much I can do, since I have no new data to work with. But if you have anything you can bring to the table…"

"It's…" Already, Aika could feel her resolve wavering. "It's about how I ended up in the TV. I figured that, if anything, that's what'll help us figure this thing out."

"Assuming that you didn't jump in yourself," Naoto said.

Aika nodded. "Right. A-Anyway, I pretty much ran over everything in my head. I still can't remember what happened after Nanako appeared on the Midnight Channel, but…"

"Can you tell us what you remember again?" Yukiko asked.

Aika exhaled sharply. "First I got the warning letter. Uncle saw it, so he took me to the police station. I was panicking and crying, so Uncle told Adachi-san to get me some water… so Adachi-san wasn't there when I told Uncle everything. He only came back after I finished talking, just as Uncle left to get a tape recorder. Then Nanako appeared on the Midnight Channel."

"Maybe we should just ask him," Chie suggested. "He was there, right?"

"That's just it, though!" Aika protested. "He told you guys that I jumped in myself, right? If I really was pushed into the TV, then that means that he was lying!"

"Tohru Adachi…" Naoto mused. "He had some connection with both Ms. Yamano and Saki-san. He was in a position to observe our actions periodically, to some extent. Furthermore, he could safely approach Senpai's house without arousing suspicion…"

"That's right!" Yukiko gasped. "He's a detective, and he's Dojima-san's partner, so no one would think twice about him coming to Aika's house or being near Ms. Yamano and Saki-senpai!"

"Nah," Yosuke said. "I think we're just twisting everything around to find _someone_ who'll take the blame. Besides, he's not the type."

"When he told us Senpai was missing, he looked panicked…" Kanji mused.

"… but he didn't look all that unsettled either…" Yosuke added, his eyes widening. "Does that mean he knows about the other world?"

"How could he, though?" Aika asked. "He wasn't there when I explained everything to Uncle. The only way he'd know about it is…"

"… if he had direct experience with the TV phenomenon," Naoto finished. "In fact, he could use his position to his advantage and hide critical information."

"Wait," Chie interrupted. "We're talking about _Adachi-san_ here, right? Really? He's your textbook lousy detective!"

"I just remembered something," Yukiko quipped. "He said he came to escort Ms. Yamano, and—"

"What?" Naoto said flatly. "Was he at your inn when the announcer was staying there?"

"When Ms. Yamano was staying at our inn, the media was swarming all over it," Yukiko explained. "That's when Adachi-san arrived, saying he had been assigned to guard her… He told our waitress that fame could be rough…"

"Guard her?" Naoto echoed. "He didn't spend the night there?"

"Huh…" Chie said slowly. "I wonder if he knew Ms. Yamano…"

"I dunno about that," Kanji said, "but I heard he called out to a girl in my class. I heard this afternoon. But I thought, y'know, that's just how cops are, so I didn't think it had anything to do with the case…"

"Detective Adachi also questioned Saki-san on numerous occasions," Naoto pointed out. "I heard it was because there was so little information about the case at the time, but… It's certainly unusual to question someone with as strong an alibi as hers on numerous occasions."

Aika wrapped her arms around herself as a shiver ran down her spine. If Adachi really was the culprit, then she'd really gotten to know a murderer, and let him get close to her. Hell, she even had a _Social Link_ with him. Suddenly, an image flashed through her mind – Adachi, with a cruel smirk painted on his face. She gasped and recoiled from the image, squeezing her eyes shut and trying desperately to dispel it. "Aika?" she heard Yosuke say, as if from far away. "Are you okay?"

"I just…" Aika said. And then, another image flashed through her mind – a hand, partially submerged in the TV, the screen rippling around it. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…"

"Aika…?" Yosuke said faintly.

But by now, she was sure. "I didn't jump in myself. He _pushed_ me in. I still can't remember all the details, but I _know _he did."

"S-So you remember?" Naoto asked.

"No, I don't…" Aika said. "Well… I remember _one_ thing… Something's been bothering me for a while. Before, when Nanako… you know… Yosuke and Kanji were ready to kill Namatame-san. Remember? Kanji was holding him toward the TV, and Namatame-san's hand was partially inside it, but you could see it, because the screen was rippling. And for some reason, that's been bugging me, but I never realized _why_ until now." She stared up at all her friends. "Because the same exact thing happened with Adachi-san! And I confronted him about it!" Her heart was racing, and she was sure she was hyperventilating. "I-I still don't remember… but he probably threw me inside the TV to shut me up. And Uncle wasn't there when it happened, so there weren't any witnesses!"

"But if that's true, then there was a huge risk involved," Naoto pointed out. "Namely, that you'd remember exactly what transpired and testify against him."

"Wait a minute…" Yukiko said. "None of us could really remember the details about how we ended up in the TV world either. That's what made us think that Aika didn't jump in herself, remember? Maybe Adachi-san knew that too, so he gambled everything on the chance that Aika wouldn't remember."

"And he was _right_!" Chie gasped. "She _didn't_ remember!"

"And he just _told_ us that she jumped in the TV, because that'd actually make sense for Senpai to do!" Kanji said.

"Oh my god…" Yosuke whispered, trapping Aika in a tight hug. "He really tried to kill you…"

"S-Senpai…" Rise mumbled, tears in her eyes. She let out a wail and threw her arms around Aika (and Yosuke) as well.

"You guys, I can't breathe," Aika choked.

"But you still don't remember the details, Senpai?" Naoto asked. Aika shook her head sadly, and Naoto smiled bitterly. "Perhaps it's a self-defense mechanism – you suppressed the memories of your own attempted murder… and the fact that you were forced to face your Shadow soon afterward covered it up even more…"

"Okay, so what're we gonna do?" Kanji asked. "We don't know for sure that Adachi pushed Senpai in the TV."

"But it's a lot more likely than Aika jumping in by herself," Chie pointed out. "So… we just confront Adachi then?"

"Yes," Naoto said. "As soon as Aika-senpai feels well enough to do so."

"I feel a lot better now," Aika said. "I should be completely fine by tomorrow."

Naoto nodded once. "No doubt because of the fact that you spent almost all of yesterday and today resting. You should keep taking medicine nonetheless, if only to ensure that you will not fall sick again."

Aika nodded. "Okay. I-I'll call Adachi-san." Everyone stared anxiously at Aika as she pressed her cell phone to her ear. Adachi picked up on the third ring. "Hello, Adachi-san?"

"Oh hey, Aika-chan!" Adachi greeted cheerfully on the other line. "What's up? Did you need something?"

"I-I needed to talk to you about something…" Aika mumbled.

There was a pause. "About what?"

Aika froze. _About what…? _"It's about Uncle and Nanako," she said quickly, her voice coming out much more strongly than she'd anticipated. "I feel like I don't know much about their… condition, and I want to know the details."

"Oh, that's understandable," Adachi said, and Aika could swear she heard him sigh in relief. "You haven't been feeling very well yourself, have you, Aika-chan?"

Aika smiled wistfully. "Not really…"

"Yeah, come to think of it, I expected you to be pretty much hovering over Nanako-chan all the time after that scare the other day," Adachi said.

"Well, I caught a really bad cold, and I've been in bed all day for the past two days," Aika said. Then she realized that she was getting horribly off topic – whether this was intentional on Adachi's part or not, she had no idea. "A-Anyway, can we meet up tomorrow to discuss all the… hospital stuff?"

"Yeah…" Adachi drawled. "You see, tomorrow's the day Namatame's being transferred to another hospital."

"What?" Aika almost shrieked. "It's tomorrow? C-Can we meet up sometime before then?"

"Uh…" Adachi said slowly. "Sure, I guess… How does tomorrow at nine sound? At the hospital lobby?"

Aika nodded. "Perfect. See you tomorrow, Adachi-san."

"Take care and feel better, Aika-chan!" Adachi said before hanging up.

When Aika flipped her phone shut, she released the breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding. "Tomorrow at nine at the hospital," she said quietly. "We'll be meeting him right before Namatame-san is transferred to a different hospital." Aika slipped one hand into Yosuke's and the other into Rise's. And the others followed suit until they were all sitting in a circle, just holding hands.

"This is almost over, you guys," Chie said. "We can do it."

"First Saki-senpai, and then Aika…" Yosuke whispered. "I won't ever forgive him."

"Hey, I just noticed another pattern!" Rise said cheerfully. "Besides Ms. Yamano, the killer's victims were all girls that Yosuke-senpai likes!" Needless to say, Yukiko didn't stop laughing for a long time.

* * *

_Okay, so I cut this chapter short because it's already really ridiculously long, and the whole Adachi thing will take at least another ten thousand words to wrap up. _

_So Aika's kind of a brat about her parents in this chapter. But the thing is, her Shadow called her out on the fact that she isn't being entirely honest about her feelings – at least, not like she was before. So now she's making a huge effort to be open about her feelings – not just with herself, but with her friends and family as well. So yes. She's being petulant and a bit bratty – the good thing about it is that she's being totally honest about it._

_Also, Aika has just about the weakest constitution out of everyone in the investigation team, even though she's not really a sickly person in general. The fog affects her _way_ more than it does everyone else, and it's in both the TV world _and_ the real world. Even worse, Aika didn't start wearing her glasses all the time until right before Nanako shenanigans happened, _and_ she's so obsessed with solving the case before she has to move that she absolutely refuses to waste any time resting up and actually getting better, which is stupid, but she's not really thinking straight at the moment. So that's why she's been feeling so crappy pretty much this entire chapter. And it reached its worst point the day they interviewed Namatame because of all the stress that built up on top of everything. But she'll be fine now – don't worry._

_Shit will be obliterated by fans in the next chapter, so stay tuned, and please review!_


	10. Chapter 10

Aika remembered one instance when her Social Link with Adachi strengthened, back in July – he'd come over in a panic, nearly in tears, confessing to her that he'd done something so horrible that her uncle would never forgive him (he never really specified what exactly he did, come to think of it). "Aika-chan, you've gotta help me!" he wailed, sinking to his knees and clasping his hands together, as she just stood at the stove with a spatula in her hand, looking confused.

"Um… So what's going on?" It was the easiest thing to say, especially since she had no idea what the situation was.

"I-I-I just did something horrible and Dojima-san's gonna be so mad, and—"

"Okay, _calm down_. Deep breaths." Adachi had complied, but didn't look any less tense. "Okay, I know Uncle's pretty hard to please on principle, but he doesn't get _that_ angry often."

"Define _that_ _angry_."

"Like…" Aika had smiled sheepishly; she really couldn't come up with a better example. "Remember how he was that time you accidentally arrested me? He doesn't get like _that_ very often."

Adachi had shuddered. "Wow… I guess the best way to rile him up is to do something unspeakably horrible to you or Nanako-chan, huh?"

Aika had smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Hey, listen, since you're here…" She'd put the finishing touches on the boxed lunch she was working on and handed it to Adachi. "Can you deliver this to him?"

"Yeah sure, no problem. I should get going—"

"Hold it," Aika had said as she quickly shoveled food into another box. "This one's yours."

"F-For me?"

Aika had smiled brightly as she handed another box to him. "Yeah, of course! I mean, you're practically family now."

Aika smiled bitterly as she recalled the memory. _Practically family, huh? _Her friends insisted on accompanying her to the hospital – probably because they were worried that Adachi would try to shut her up by shoving her into a TV again. But she was prepared this time – she'd have to be careful, because there was no way she could take Adachi at face value anymore. _I still don't believe it…_

Adachi showed up ten minutes late, with two cups of steaming coffee in his hands. "Hey, Aika-chan," he greeted casually, handing her a cup. Aika smiled as she took the cup from him, but set it down on the table next to her. If he could try to kill her once, then he could easily do it again – no need to give him more opportunities to do so. "Aren't you gonna drink that?"

"Maybe later," Aika said. "I ate before I came."

He smiled sheepishly at everyone else in the lobby. "Sorry. I'd have brought more if I knew you guys were coming too. Why are you guys here, anyway?"

Yosuke refused to look in Adachi's direction at all, and Aika could see him actually shaking in rage. Of course, his anger was understandable – after all, he'd already lost Saki to Adachi, and he almost lost Aika as well. "Moral support," was all Aika said. "So Uncle…"

"His recovery's been slow," Adachi said. "It's because he keeps sneaking out of his room all the time. I'm sure he'd get better fast if he just sat still for a while, but I can sorta understand that it can get really boring, being cooped up all day." He sighed. "Geez… with Namatame finally relocated, I was looking forward to going home…"

Aika froze. "You mean you relocated him already?" she asked. "But you said…"

"Yeah, I know I told you that we were gonna relocate him after I met with you, but something came up, so we did it earlier," Adachi answered easily.

_He's lying_, Aika thought. _He's lying, lying, lying, lying, lying…_

"You sure you're doing okay, Aika-chan?" Adachi asked. "You still don't look too good."

That had to be an attempt to get her to reveal that she was onto him – Aika was sure of it. But she wasn't going to fall for his obvious ploy. "My fever finally went down last night, and it hasn't come back," she said, "and I feel a lot better. But I kind of wanted to discuss Uncle and Nanako's…?"

"Oh, right!" Adachi said quickly. "S-Sorry."

"Adachi-san, if I may," Naoto interrupted.

"C'mon, Naoto-kun," Adachi said, smirking casually. "Can't you see how worried Aika-chan is about her family? I'll talk to you after I finish with her."

From the corner of her eye, Aika could see Yosuke clenching his fists, trembling even worse than before. "It's okay, Adachi-san," she said stiffly. "Go ahead, Naoto."

"You seem to be in an awful hurry to get Namatame out of this hospital," Naoto said with a stoic expression.

"Huh?" Adachi mumbled. "Oh, well, yeah. I mean, we can't have him around with Dojima-san and Nanako-chan here… Didn't you think so too?"

Suddenly, the elevator door opened, and Uncle dragged his feet out, looking tired. "Adachi… there you are… Where's Namatame? There's been a lot of noise today for some reason…"

"D-Dojima-san!" Adachi yelped. "What are you doing here?"

"Uncle, you're supposed to stay in bed!" Aika said on impulse, but then she readjusted her priorities – if Uncle heard what she and her friends had to say, then he'd be able to help them.

"Namatame's just been relocated," Adachi explained. "Sorry. Aika-chan wanted to meet with me, so I was gonna tell you after that."

"You did what?" Uncle snapped. "Who authorized that? There's still more I need to ask him about!"

"G-Gimme a break, D-Dojima-san!" Adachi stammered.

"I can fill you in," Aika said in an even voice. "Basically, he's responsible for all the kidnappings – because of TV stuff – but not the first two murders."

Uncle sighed. "That's what I thought…"

"Well, he's already been relocated," Adachi said. "There's no use hassling me about it." He frowned sternly at Aika, but his expression barely affected her at all – after all, that cruel smirk of his that she could still sort of remember was so much worse. "What's your deal, Aika-chan? Getting involved in police business? That's not like you!"

"What's gotten into you today?" Uncle asked. "It's odd to see you taking work so seriously…"

"You should get back to work too, Dojima-san," Adachi said with a smile. "You're current assignment: get better as soon as possible!"

Uncle sighed yet again. "Why did you want to meet with him, Aika?" he asked.

"She wanted to know what exactly was going on with you and Nanako-chan… medically speaking," Adachi answered for her.

"Yeah, there's that," Aika said. "And… there's one more thing I need to confirm with you, Adachi-san." She stepped forward, crossing her arms, and Kanji and Yosuke stood protectively behind her. "Mayumi Yamano, the announcer… do you think you can tell me what exactly happened when she was killed?"

"Huh?" Adachi asked. "You wanna know about her?" He sighed and shrugged. "Well, I can't say anything for sure offhand… it's not like I saw her or anything. Besides, it was months and months ago."

"You also questioned Saki Konishi, didn't you?" Yosuke demanded.

"Why wouldn't I question her?" Adachi asked. "She found the announcer's body. But she didn't know much about it, so I only talked with her once or twice. Was that all you wanted to ask? Well, I hope it helped."

Something hardened in Uncle's gaze, and he stared at Adachi in suspicion. Aika exhaled slowly, mentally bracing herself for some sort of revelation. "There's one more thing. What about the warning letter?"

"Warning letter?" Adachi echoed.

"The one that was delivered to her house," Naoto elaborated. "It's in police custody now, correct?"

"Uh, I don't really remember…" Adachi muttered.

"Hey!" Uncle shouted. "Whaddya mean you don't remember? Some bastard's been threatening my niece, and you _forgot_ to take it down to the crime lab for processing?"

"S-Sorry…" Adachi mumbled. "Aika-chan disappeared right after that, and then there was your accident. With one thing and another, it sorta slipped my mind… Besides – that thing was just a prank, wasn't it?"

Everything felt wrong, but Aika pushed forward anyway. "Just a prank, Adachi-san?" she said quietly. "Just like the way you _pushed me into the TV_? Was that just a prank, too?"

"What?" Uncle's voice came out as a low, dangerous whisper. "You told me that she jumped in of her own accord. What's this about you pushing her in?"

"C-C'mon, Dojima-san!" Adachi stammered. "Aika-chan's had it rough for the past few weeks, so she's probably still confused about everything that happened."

Aika couldn't handle it anymore. "I'm not confused!" she screamed, clenching her fists. She could feel tears rapidly forming in her eyes, and she looked downward to avoid letting Adachi see her crying. "You… You monster…"

"A-Aika-chan…?"

"H-How dare you?" Yosuke said in a low, dangerous whisper. "SAKI-SENPAI ENOUGH FOR YOU, YOU SICK BASTARD?"

"Give me one good reason…" Uncle said in a shaking voice as he visibly trembled with rage. "… why I shouldn't just strangle you right now…"

"Dojima-san, Yosuke-senpai, please calm down," Naoto said. "Adachi san, I've been fixated on something you said before. Do you recall when I read Namatame's diary at the scene of Dojima-san's accident? At the time, I said, 'Even the victims who survived and were never released to the public are written here.' And in response, your words were, 'Then that settles it.' How, I wonder, would that _settle_ anything? At the time, the police had no idea that there had been other attempted murders related to the case… You had no reason for saying such a thing. After all, there are countless examples of people disappearing for a few days. Yet when I read the list of names, you raised no objection. Odd, that. What do you say to that, Detective Adachi?"

"I-I don't know!" Adachi yelled.

"Fuck Namatame!" Uncle practically growled. "What the hell did you do to Aika, Adachi?"

"N-Nothing!" Adachi yelped.

"You son of a bitch!" Yosuke yelled. "You tried to kill her, didn't you?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Adachi said defensively. "And I have work to do!" And with that, he ran away.

"Get back here!" Kanji shouted as he ran after him. And the group quickly followed suit. Uncle tried following them as well, but then he stumbled. Thankfully, Aika was nearby, so she managed to catch him before he fell.

She didn't miss the way he practically clung to her as well. "Uncle…"

"Aika, he really tried to…"

He stumbled forward, and Aika felt his grip on her shoulder tighten. "Uncle, you need to—"

"No," he snarled. "I'm going after him. That bastard's gonna get what's coming to him…"

Aika sighed – there was no point in trying to talk Uncle out of his current mindset. "Come on," she said. The two of them made their way upstairs, and it seemed that everyone had congregated in Namatame's previous room.

"Damn it, I swore I saw him run in here!" Aika heard Yosuke yell.

"Where the hell'd he go?" Kanji shouted.

"Either he's hiding, or he's in the TV," Aika said flatly. Uncle grunted in pain, and Aika felt him sinking. "Uncle!"

As if on cue, a nurse ran into the room. "Dojima-san!" she cried. "For heaven's sake, what are we going to do with you?"

"Sorry," Uncle sighed. "Guess I just got carried away…"

"Do you even _want_ to get better?" the nurse ranted. "If you keep this up, there could be lasting damages! Have you forgotten how much trouble it caused you last time?"

As Uncle slung one of his arms over the nurse's shoulder, Aika bowed to the nurse. "I'm so sorry for the trouble."

"Dojima-san, I can only imagine how frustrating it is to have this man for a father," the nurse said, clucking her tongue disapprovingly.

Aika smiled faintly, not bothering to correct her. "Uncle, you _have_ to promise that you'll stay in bed until your wounds heal."

"But—" he protested.

"We'll find Adachi-san," Aika assured him. "Don't worry."

"Aika, that bastard tried to kill you," Uncle said, and he looked so utterly broken that Aika felt guilty for getting trapped in the TV world in the first place.

"It'll be okay," she said. "Whatever happened to me before won't happen again. And as long as he's on the other side, I can fight back."

"'Sides," Kanji said, stepping up next to her. "We'll make sure he doesn't lay another finger on her."

"Aika-senpai will be safe in our hands, Dojima-san," Naoto said.

"You can count on us!" Chie added cheerfully.

Aika groaned. "You guys make me sound totally useless…"

"That's right!" Rise gasped. "Senpai is _very_ well-versed in Almighty spells."

"Not to mention," Yukiko interjected, "her skill level magic-wise is—"

Uncle made a noise halfway between a whine and a groan. "No more…"

"Off we go, Dojima-san," the nurse said briskly.

Uncle peered over his shoulder one last time before he left. "Good luck."

"Oh yeah…" Chie whispered. "Come to think of it, Aika got a new Persona, huh? I don't think she's ever used it before!"

"That's right…" Naoto said quietly. "We never entered the TV at all during Senpai's illness and the turn in Nanako-chan's condition.

"You're right, Naoto-kun," Yukiko said. "We haven't trained in a while, so we'll probably be out of shape."

"We need to look for Teddie, too," Rise pointed out.

"Are you kidding me?" Yosuke almost yelled. "We're just going to let him sit there and not do anything?"

"There's nothing he _can_ do to us if we don't confront him," Aika tried reasoning with him. "And he can't get out without our help either!"

Yosuke turned all his attention on her at this point. "Why are you being so calm about this?"

"Because panicking about it won't solve anything!"

"You could've _died_!"

"But I _didn't_!"

"If we didn't come for you, you would have!"

"Maybe, but I'm here now, and I'm fine!"

"Okay, okay," Chie said. "You guys are getting _way_ off topic here. And I agree with Naoto. It doesn't make sense for us to just go charging in, guns blazing, only to get our asses handed to us 'cause we didn't prepare properly. By the way, Aika, you probably already know this, but Yosuke tends to get a little… protective of you. Remember, back when we thought that only people connected to Ms. Yamano's case would be targeted? Yosuke freaked out because he thought _you'd_ be targeted one day? Don't fight it, man. You'll lose."

Aika exhaled sharply. "Fine… But I still think we should wait. If we're going to lose, it shouldn't be because we didn't prepare properly. That's all."

Yosuke sighed. "All right. What're we gonna do?"

"I say we go in tomorrow," Rise suggested. "Do all our prep work today."

"Or, how about this?" Yukiko quipped. "Today we go around town updating our equipment and buying medicine and stuff, and then later, we'll go into the TV and train for a bit. Then tomorrow, we'll spend the whole day training in the TV, and we'll go looking for Adachi-san the day after that."

"A training regimen…" Naoto mused. "Simple, but effective. I like it."

* * *

They went to Daidara's workshop first. "Hey, Uncle!" Chie called cheerfully as soon as they entered. "So… Uh…"

"Why don't you just tell him what's going on?" Aika suggested innocently. "I told _my_ uncle."

"Okay, Uncle, you have to promise you won't tell anyone, okay?" Daidara simply raised one eyebrow as Chie launched into her explanation.

And, one Chie was done, Daidara's expression barely changed. "Oh," he said. "So that's what it was."

"S-Seriously?" Chie screeched. "Aren't you, like, really pissed off at me for keeping this a secret?"

"No," Daidara said bluntly.

"What about repeatedly putting my life in danger just to solve a murder mystery?"

"Whatever. It's your life." Chie yelled in frustration and tugged at her hair. "Though now that I know what's _actually_ going on… be careful."

"H-Huh?"

Daidara looked to the side. "And this is all gonna be over after this last TV trip, right?"

"Y-Yeah…?" Chie said slowly.

Daidara nodded once. "Good."

And then, all of a sudden, Chie threw her arms around Daidara's waist. "Thank you, Uncle, thank you, thank you, thank you!" And, all the while, Daidara just pat her head awkwardly, his face slightly red.

"Geez, Aika," Yosuke said. "Your boyfriend's parents run Junes, and you _insist_ on going to Satomi Tadashi for medicine?"

"I get a discount here," Aika said. "Besides – it's cheaper here than it is at Junes."

"Yeah!" Rise cheered. "Go shopping district!"

"Represent!" Kanji added.

"I hate you all," Yosuke grumbled, and Yukiko snorted in laughter.

* * *

"Oh hey!" Tamaki Uchida said from the front of the store. "How's everything going, Aika?"

"Um…" Aika mumbled. "Crazy. Sorry I had to take so much time off work…"

Tamaki just smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. I hope everything's okay with your family now."

"Uncle and Nanako are still in the hospital, but they'll be fine," Aika said. "I mean—Uncle will be fine, a-and Nanako—"

"Gotcha," Tamaki said, saving Aika from an awkward explanation. "So, what can I get you guys?"

"Um…" Aika stared downward at her feet. "C-Can I get some medical kits?"

Tamaki raised an eyebrow. "_Just_ medical kits? You're settling for _that_?"

"H-Huh? O-Oh, c-could I also get some sedatives and stimulants?"

Tamaki sighed and shook her head. "Amateur." Tamaki reached into a cupboard and pulled out a large metal box. "I've got some bead chains, some soul food, some soma—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Chie said. "_What_?"

"Problem?" Tamaki asked, smirking. "If you're going demon hunting, you might as well be prepared."

"We're not exactly demon hunting," Yukiko said slowly.

"Oh, he's a demon," Yosuke muttered. "The demon of all demons. He's _Beelzebub_."

Tamaki winced sympathetically. "I hear you, kid. That thing was a bitch to take care of."

"T-Tamaki-san…?" Aika said faintly. Just what was going _on_?

"Let me know when you finish, okay Aika-chan?" Tamaki asked. "I want you all back here in one piece. Catch my drift?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Rise said excitedly.

Tamaki smiled warmly. "Good… Now go kick some ass!"

After Satomi Tadashi, the next stop was Aiya's for lunch. "I swear, that lady knew way more than she let on," Kanji said flatly between mouthfuls of meat.

"Same," Chie agreed, voraciously digging into her beef bowl. "Isn't she your boss, Aika?"

"Yeah, but I had no idea…" Aika said quietly, absentmindedly stirring her ramen with her chopsticks. "I never said anything about that stuff to her, and Tamaki-san never asked me anything about it either…"

"It was almost as if she was speaking from previous experience…" Naoto mused.

"Not to mention, she _did_ say demon fighting instead of Shadow fighting," Rise added. "Maybe she's some kind of legendary demon slayer?"

"Tamaki-san the demon slayer…" Aika said slowly. "It sounds like something she'd like to do."

Yu Narukami chose that moment to join them. "How is everything?" he asked politely. "Are you enjoying the meal?"

"You betcha!" Chie said excitedly.

"Ah, Yu-kun," Yukiko said. "I'm so sorry I had to cancel our plans the other day."

"Wait, wait, wait," Yosuke interrupted. "Plans? With _him_?"

"It's been a while since we've hung out together," Yukiko said simply. "We were planning to meet up here at night on the day finals ended. But then Nanako-chan…"

"I'm glad to hear your family is doing better, Aika-san," Yu said gently. "I hear you've been remarkably brave all this time. If it were me in your place, I wouldn't know what to do."

Aika smiled sheepishly. "It's because of everyone else here," she said. "If I didn't have my friends with me, I don't know how I'd have been able to handle everything. Um… How did Kanji put it? It's a cliché because it's true, dammit." Yukiko choked on her tofu and burst into giggles.

Chie would have probably groaned in frustration, if she weren't laughing herself. "N-Never mimic Kanji-kun like that again!"

"D-Do I really sound like that?" Kanji muttered.

Naoto chuckled, making Kanji's face turn red. "An accurate imitation."

Yukiko cleared her throat. "Anyway, Yu-kun," she said quickly. "I'll be a little busy for the next couple of weeks, so what do you say we meet on Christmas?"

Yu's face turned bright scarlet. "Wh-What?"

"Well, it's the one day I know I'll be free," Yukiko continued, completely oblivious to the fact that Yu's face was growing redder by the second, and that it was hard to tell if the taller boy was even breathing. "I can meet you here, and we can walk around the shopping district. How does that sound?"

"I… I…" Aika bent her head downward, trying not to laugh at Yu's predicament. "I-I'm free on that day, that is…"

"Okay, so it's a date!" Yukiko said, and Aika was honestly surprised that Yu didn't pass out right then and there.

"A-A date?" Yu squeaked.

"Are you feeling all right, Narukami-senpai?" Naoto asked. "Your face is red. If you feel that you're coming down with a cold, you should rest."

"Why is everyone getting sick all of a sudden?" Yukiko asked. "First Aika – then again, she was kind of a special case – then—"

"I should get going," Yu said quickly. "U-Um… I-I'll see you on the twenty-fifth, Yukiko-san…"

As Yukiko walked away, Yosuke snorted in laughter. "So much for the Amagi Challenge."

"It isn't a challenge if Yukiko's the one who asked him out, isn't it?" Aika asked him teasingly.

Yukiko looked utterly confused. "What? What did I do?"

"Hey, great catch, Senpai!" Rise said, clapping Yukiko on the back. "He's really cute!"

"H-Huh? What are you…?"

"Yukiko," Chie said flatly. "You pretty much asked him out on a date."

"I did _what_?" Yukiko gasped. She stood up. "Yu-kun, it's not a date! I-I mean, we'll still go out that—I mean _hang_ out! We'll _hang_ out that day! But it won't be a date!" By now, the entire restaurant was staring at her. Her face and Yu's face were identical shades of red, and as she sat back down and he went about his work, they both refused to look at each other.

At that moment, Aika could finally relate to Yukiko on a spiritual level, because she couldn't stop laughing.

* * *

Aika absentmindedly weighed her new rod in her hands, wondering why she bought it in the first place if she was going to rely primarily on spells to fight. Her whole body felt heavy, and she was almost sure she was going to fall sick again because of how thick the fog inside the TV was. "There's this malicious aura everywhere…" Rise said quietly. "It feels completely different from the last time I was here. I think we'd better hurry."

"Is Teddie in here?" Aika asked worriedly. She hadn't set foot in the Velvet Room since her dream with Teddie there, and the fact that he disappeared so suddenly scared her to no end.

Rise quickly summoned Himiko and sighed after a few seconds. "No… I'll try finding Adachi."

Aika groaned, pressing her hand to her forehead. "This fog's making me feel sick…"

"Just hang in there, Aika," Yosuke said, putting his hands on her shoulders to steady her. "We'll just find Adachi, kick his ass, and get out of here."

"I sense him!" Rise announced. "Adachi's definitely in here!"

"Well that settles it," Naoto said. "There's virtually no doubt remaining that he's the true culprit. Once we capture him, solving the mystery of this world and the rest of this case can't be far behind."

"Why…?" Rise mumbled. "Why can't I find him…?"

"No luck?" Kanji asked. "Adachi or Teddie?"

"Both…" Rise sank to her knees. "Teddie, where _are _you?"

"Why don't we call it a day?" Chie suggested. "It won't do us any good if you collapse."

"I agree," Naoto said. "If Rise-san became fatigued, even if we found Adachi, our capacity in battle would be reduced."

"And this fog's affecting all of us, too…" Yukiko said quietly. "We can't fight like this…"

The group exited the TV and made their way to Junes's food court, and Aika all but collapsed into the table. "Damn it!" Kanji yelled. "We came so far to run smack into a dead end!"

"What's wrong with me?" Rise almost whined. "My powers are completely useless!"

"U-Um…"

Aika would recognize that voice anywhere. "Teddie!" She sprang up and trapped the bear in a tight hug.

"Y-Y-You little…" Yosuke stammered. "Where the hell were you?"

"I-I'm sorry…" Teddie said quietly.

Rise threw her arms around him as well. "You idiot! Bad bear! Bad! You're so late! Who do you think you are?"

When Rise started crying, Aika couldn't help crying as well. "D-Don't you ever do that again!"

"You know how much trouble you caused, y'dumb bear?" Kanji demanded, despite his relieved smile. "Where the hell were you?"

"I'm sorry…" Teddie said again. "I figured out a lot of things… About me… and that world. U-Um… I told Aika-chan in that Velvet Room place…"

"You _saw_ him, Aika?" Chie shrieked.

"I wasn't sure…" Aika mumbled. "I-I thought it was just a dream… I-I'm sorry… I had a really high fever that day, so I didn't know if it was real or not."

And so, Teddie explained everything he'd told Aika before – and everyone listened intently. "Shadows are suppressed human thoughts given form," he explained. "Everyone has them inside."

"Wait," Yosuke interrupted. "You say you're a Shadow, but you didn't attack us. And you kept telling us from the start that you wanted to bring peace and quiet to that world, right?"

"But in the end, I was just an ordinary Shadow…" Teddie lamented. "Nothing special about me at all. I did everything I could until now to try and make my world peaceful, but instead, the weird fog started seeping out into this world too… I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. If I really was special, then maybe…"

"It's no big deal," Yosuke said with a careless smile. "We thought you might be something like that anyway."

"N-No big deal?" Teddie repeated. "I take offense to that one, Yosuke! No one would think such a pretty bear could really be a Shadow!"

"Huh…" Aika mused. "So I had Social Links with _two_ Shadows…"

"Not to mention, you possess the power of Persona," Naoto pointed out. "A Shadow is suppressed power. Once controlled by the ego, it becomes a Persona. Doesn't it follow, then, that you must have developed an ego? Whether the ego masters its Shadow, or the Shadow awakens to its ego, the only difference I see is the order in which the process occurred."

"Oh, so Teddie's practically human then!" Chie said cheerfully.

"R-Really?" Teddie stammered.

"Well, yeah," Aika said. "You're not special – none of us are either. You can't do most things on your own – I can't speak for the others, but I know _I _can't. And your Shadow was only the second hardest to deal with, so—"

"Uh, _second_ hardest?" Chie interjected. "_Third_ hardest! Then comes Rise-chan's, and then yours, Aika!"

"Oh yeah…" Aika said, smiling sheepishly. "So you're better than me, Teddie. You've gone through so much these past few weeks, and you never once lost control of your Persona like I did."

"Anyway," Naoto said quickly, "we should move along with the case. We don't have much time."

"Yessir, Nao-chan!" Teddie said cheerfully.

"As it turns out, someone _did_ make an attempt on Aika-senpai's life," Naoto explained. "That _someone_ murdered Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi in the spring."

"It was Adachi," Yosuke said, clenching his fists. "It's his fault all this happened."

"Adachi?" Teddie asked. "Him? Really?" He sighed. "But you all know him. If you can't find him, I don't think I can help you."

"But it's hard to get pumped about this sort of thing without someone cute and fuzzy around," Kanji said seriously.

"That's me!" Teddie said cheerfully. "Fuzzy!"

"Hey… guys?" Yukiko piped up. "That butterfly's been sitting there for a while now." It took Aika an embarrassingly long time to realize that Yukiko was pointing at her. She looked down at her right shoulder, and, sure enough, a shimmering yellow butterfly was sitting there innocently. She shrieked in surprise and startled, crashing into Yosuke, who was sitting next to her. The butterfly barely reacted to the sudden movement, choosing instead to calmly flit to the center of the table. All of a sudden, there was a bright flash of white light, and, when the light faded, Aika found herself with her friends in a strange room surrounded by pillars.

"Wh-What the…?" Yosuke whispered, standing up but not drawing too far away from the group. "This isn't in Junes…"

"M-Maybe it's a new room they opened up today?" Chie suggested innocently.

"This is…" Rise whispered. "This can't be right, but… I feel… safe. It's weird."

"I-I sense someone really strong!" Teddie yelped.

"But is it hostile?" Naoto asked pointedly.

Aika felt like she was floating. She had every reason to panic, and yet she felt calm – almost unnaturally so. "This feeling… It's like the Velvet Room…"

The butterfly descended to a green circle in the center of the black and white checked floor, and a tall man appeared in its place. A porcelain mask covered half his face, and his long brown ponytail flowed in the wind. Kanji took a defensive stance in front of the group. "S-Stay back!" he yelled, his voice cracking slightly. "Make one move, and you'll get it! I-I ain't kidding around!"

The man held up one hand calmly. "Peace, Mr. Tatsumi," he said in a smooth voice. "Now…" He strode towards Aika, only to be blocked by Yosuke. "I mean no harm."

"That's for us to decide," Yosuke said firmly, frowning at the man.

"Wait, you guys," Aika interjected. "This place is safe. I can feel it."

The man cleared his throat. "Well then, allow me to introduce myself. I am Philemon, the dweller between consciousness and unconsciousness. Some time ago, you all awakened to the power of Persona, correct?"

"Th-That's true…" Yukiko said slowly. "B-But… H-How did you know that?"

Philemon smiled serenely. "A quick look at the heart of the current Wild Card holder told me everything I needed to know."

Aika gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. "M-Me…?" Philemon nodded once. "W-Wait, but that means… I-If you know about the Wild Card, then—then that means…"

"Correct," Philemon said, nodding again. "I am the master of the one you know as Igor."

"So we can trust you, then!" Aika said, sighing in relief.

"I decided to show myself to you for one purpose," Philemon said. "Mankind is trapped in an eternal paradox – a paradox conceived by choosing to see only what one wishes to see. What awaits you in that paradox is a cruel fate indeed."

"I don't get it…" Chie mumbled.

"Neither do I…" Yukiko agreed.

"Quit your yammering and get to the point already!" Kanji yelled, raising his fist threateningly.

"K-Kanji!" Aika squeaked.

But Philemon barely reacted. "All will be explained in due time," he said calmly. "Consciousness and unconsciousness are drawing ever closer together – if anyone can separate the two once and for all, it is you. The strength of your hearts have manifested into Personae. And your resolve to face your challenges head-on…" Philemon closed his eyes and smiled. "Why don't you see for yourself?" All of a sudden, everyone's Personae rose from them, and exclamations of shock and confusion rang throughout the strange room.

Aika regarded her new Persona Kaguya for the first time since her disappearance. On the surface, Kaguya didn't look all that different from Aoandon – only there was a faint white glow to her as opposed to a bluish one. Her hair – or what her hair would have been if she were really human – was longer, and there were no horns on top of her head. Her eyes glowed white, like Aoandon's, though not maliciously so. _Kaguya…_ Aika clasped her hands together and smiled as she closed her eyes. _Thank you._

"Wait, so we all get new Personas now?" Chie asked.

"The goddess Amaterasu…" Yukiko whispered. "She's me, and I'm it…"

"This is so _awesome_!" Yosuke enthused.

"I feel like a new man!" Kanji added.

"I-I get one too?" Teddie asked in surprise.

"Oh, I'll be able to find Adachi with this for sure!" Rise cheered.

"Perfect," Naoto whispered.

"Everyone," Philemon said sharply. "This mystery is drawing to a close. If you have the faintest strength to reach out for the truth, the stars will shine even through the fog. I wish you all the best of luck."

And with that, the world around them faded, and, when Aika opened her eyes once more, she was by the Samegawa River with all her friends. "Th-That really happened…" she whispered, covering her mouth with one hand. "Philemon…"

"Oy!" a voice from a little ways away shouted. "Senpai!" Aika saw a tall, skinny figure running toward her through the fog.

"Hi Naoki-kun," Aika greeted him pleasantly. "It's been a while."

Naoki put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "I finally found you… I heard about what happened to your sister. I-If there's anything I can do…"

"Thanks, Naoki-kun," Aika said, smiling. "Nanako's going to be fine now." And, for the first time, she couldn't be more sure of that fact. "Thank you so much for your support, though."

"Yo," Kanji said, slinging one arm around Naoki's neck. "When all this is over, you and me are gonna play video games all night, all right? I heard there's this new American one that came out, and you get to fly a plane—"

"May I join this little video game party?" Naoto asked innocently. Kanji made a choking noise, his face turning bright red.

"I-I wanna play too!" Teddie whined

"Sure, if you want," Naoki said.

Aika giggled. "Yukiko, you and I are gonna have a sleepover when this is all over too!" Chie announced. "You, me, Aika, Naoto-kun, and Rise-chan!"

"Not to mention…" Yosuke's arm was suddenly around Aika, and she leaned into his embrace. "We never got to go on a proper date, so we should probably get on that."

Aika laughed. "I can't wait!" And, despite all that had happened, despite the fact that the mystery still wasn't solved, Aika felt truly happy.

* * *

Aika woke up to the home phone ringing the next morning. She dragged her feet downstairs, rubbing her eyes sleepily, and picked up the phone without hesitation. "Dojima residence," she said automatically.

"Hey, Aika-chan," she heard her mother say on the other line. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Yeah…" Aika mumbled. "What are you doing up so early anyway?"

"Well, uh…" Mom sounded nervous and strangely hesitant. "I… wanted to make sure I could talk to you before you went out with your friends."

Aika frowned, already knowing where this was going. "Is this about Mikage-cho?"

"Yeah," Mom replied. "Uh… How do I put this…"

Aika pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Mom, Uncle and Nanako are in the hospital. I _can't_ leave them now." And there was the case too, but Aika decided to save that for future ammunition if her mother felt especially persistent.

"That's just it, though!" Mom said. "Sweetie, uh…" There was shuffling on the other end of the line.

"Hello, Aika?" she heard Dad say. "Listen – you need to stay in Inaba for a bit longer."

And… that wasn't the response Aika was expecting. "Wh-What?"

"Ryotaro and Nanako will need all the help they can get to get back up on their feet after this whole incident," Dad elaborated. "We're needed in Mikage-cho, so we can't be there just yet—"

"What do you mean by 'yet'?" Aika demanded.

She could practically hear the smile in his voice. "Aika… After Mikage-cho, we're all settling down in Inaba, once and for all."

"A-Are you serious?" Aika shrieked.

There was more shuffling on the other line, and Mom was back. "Listen, sweetie… I realized something when we left last week – I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to leave you all by yourself, I didn't want to leave Ryo-chan and Nana-chan… We're a _family_, Aika, and we've all done a pretty lousy job of acting like one. It's not _your_ fault, it's _mine_." There was a slight pause, and her mother laughed. "Your father's saying that it's his fault too, but it's mostly mine… Okay, it's _our_ fault. Happy now?"

More shuffling. "When you have the time, do you think you could clean out the house across the street from Ryotaro's?" Dad asked. "That's our old house – Ryotaro and Chisato never let us sell it."

"Oh, those little glow-in-the-dark stars should still be there on the ceiling!" Mom said. "But I bet they don't glow anymore… H-Hey, I'll bet Aika-chan's crib is still there too!"

Aika laughed. "Um… I'm kind of caught up with… TV stuff at the moment, but I'll look into it. I'll get my friends to help too!"

"Perfect," Mom said. "Okay, good luck, sweetie, and be careful!"

"Call us when you get back," Dad instructed.

"Seriously, though," Mom said. "If I hear a news story about you hanging upside down from a telephone pole a few days from now, I'll kill you. Even though you'll already be dead."

Aika giggled. "Okay, Mom. Bye!" She hung up the phone, feeling strangely energized, and got ready as quickly as she could before riding her scooter, almost going past the speed limit, to Junes.

Once inside the TV, Rise clapped her hands together excitedly. "All right, Kanzeon!" she enthused. "Let's go! Teddie, you help too!"

"B-But my nose is all dried up!" Teddie protested weakly as Rise's new Persona materialized behind her and covered her eyes.

"Less talking and more sniffing!" Rise said. "Let's _go_, Teddie!"

"I-I can _do_ this!" Teddie said enthusiastically. A strange yellow aura surrounded him as he frowned in concentration, making Aika's heart jolt. He waddled past the crowd to a barely visible entrance to the group's right, and… "I sense it from… thisaway."

"Is it Adachi?" Kanji asked hurriedly.

"How do I put it…" Teddie said slowly. "It's kinda hazy, but at the same time, it feels like I've got a whopper on the line. But… that's weird. If I remember right, that's where Yosuke, Chie-chan, and Aika-chan came from when I met them for the first time."

"Really?" Aika asked, steping behind him and peering at the walkway. "I don't really remember…"

"We were all kind of out of it at that point, remember?" Chie asked. "But… what was it about the place we went to?"

"That was the creepy-ass room where all the faces on the posters were cut out!" Yosuke said.

"Adachi's there for sure," Rise said. "Thank you so much, Teddie! I couldn't have done it without you!"

Teddie's face turned red. "I-It was dumb luck… It's because that's where I first sensed Aika-chan and the others. That's why it kinda smelled over there."

"Wait, did you say _smelled_?" Chie interjected. "Wasn't that the room where Yosuke had to go to the bathroom, and…"

Rise gave a mortified shriek. "You're saying… he peed his pants there?"

"Ew, I don't wanna hear it!" Yukiko wailed.

"I don't remember this at all!" Aika ranted. "How do you guys remember this?"

"Oh, you lie so bad!" Yosuke yelled at Chie. "Dude, I did not piss my pants! Quit spreading random rumors about stuff like that!"

"Uh, well…" Chie mumbled. "It happened so long ago, my memory's kinda fuzzy, you know…"

"Okay, guys!" Teddie said enthusiastically. "Enough fuzziness! Follow me, the master of fuzzy logic!"

Yukiko burst out laughing at that. "Oh wait, you guys!" Aika gasped. "I forgot to tell you! My parents called this morning."

"And?" Yosuke asked anxiously. "What did they say?"

"I'm staying in Inaba!" Aika said cheerfully. "Once they're done in Mikage-cho, they'll move here, and I'll be staying here with Uncle and Nanako until they do!"

"Senpai, that's great!" Rise squealed, throwing her arms around Aika.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Naoto said, "but Adachi is still here. We must capture him immediately."

"All right, then let's go!" Chie said excitedly.

* * *

As Aika entered the strange room for the second time, she could feel everything coming back to her slowly. Her mind was in such a haze the day she first entered the TV – not to mention, the fog made her sick, and Aoandon kept talking to the point that she felt like her head was going to explode – that it was no wonder she didn't remember many details about her first trip into the TV.

"That damn bitch…" Adachi's voice echoed. "I noticed her first, and she just had to run off and have an affair…" Sure enough, Adachi was standing by the window. He whirled around, a fierce, slightly deranged scowl painted on his face, and a shiver ran down Aika's spine. Nothing about the night Nanako was kidnapped came back to her, and yet she was still so, so scared. "Who's there? Oh… it's you guys. You're very persistent."

Aika opened her mouth to say something – anything – but no sound came out. Her whole body was trembling, and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself, as if they alone could protect her from Adachi. This man knew where she lived, knew exactly what to do to frighten her, actually tried to kill her… Yosuke stepped in front of Aika, clenching his fists. "You bastard… You're the real killer!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Adachi said in much to smooth a voice.

"You're not lying your way out of this one, damn it!" Yosuke yelled. "Just being here proves it! Answer me! You're the one who threw Ms. Yamano into the TV, aren't you?"

Adachi laughed, and Aika let out a whimper. "It was an accident," he said simply. "She started struggling. What else was I supposed to do? I called her out to the lobby because I wanted to ask her something. And then she started getting all hysterical on me…"

And then, in the corner of the room, three wispy apparitions appeared – Mayumi Yamano, Adachi, and a TV. "Who're you?" Mayumi asked. "What's this 'something important' you called me out here for?"

The fake Adachi stepped toward her. "What they say on the news isn't true, is it? All that talk about you having an affair and whatnot… It's all a lie, right?"

Mayumi crossed her arms and glared at him. "Why do I have to explain myself to _you_?" she demanded.

The fake Adachi took one step toward her, and she took one step back. "I see… so you don't deny it. You caught my eye, but it turns out you're another worthless bitch…"

Mayumi took another step back. "What's wrong with you…? D-Don't make me call for help!"

The fake Adachi groaned. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" He smirked cruelly. "I think you need to see what it's like to fear for your life… It'll get your head straight." The fake Adachi put his hands on her shoulders, ignoring her protests, and smashed his lips into hers. Then, without warning, he shoved her into the TV, and, sure enough, she was gone. "Sh-She fell in…" The fake Adachi laughed. "Wow… So people can go all the way inside…"

Aika covered her mouth as the apparitions disappeared, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach. "Good thing no one else was around there in the middle of the night," the real Adachi said.

"That… happened in our lobby…?" Yukiko asked, mortified.

"I learned about the Midnight Channel through some rumor," Adachi said. "You hear a lot of fishy stories like that on the force. But it was pure coincidence that I touched the screen and discovered my power. I burst out laughing when I found out. I knew right away that this was going to be interesting!"

"So you tested it out on Mayumi Yamano!" Yosuke accused.

"Nah, it was nothing like that," Adachi replied. "I'm a very sincere person. I was just trying to punish the stupid bitch for betraying me. Yeah, putting them inside the TV was never the plan. But y'know, both Mayumi and that dippy high school girl struggled for no reason."

Aika had to bite down on her lip to keep from screaming out loud. "So you _were_ responsible for Saki-senpai's death!" Yosuke said in a dangerously low whisper.

"Saki…?" Adachi echoed. "Oh yeah, her name was Saki Konishi, or something like that. At first I just called her in 'cause of work-related stuff. Her being the one who found Mayumi's body and all. And naturally, if there was any chance she'd seen something, I'd need to know, right?"

"Y-You monster…" Naoto whispered.

The fog seemed to swirl around where the apparitions of Mayumi and Adachi once were, only now the area looked like a police interrogation room – incidentally, the one Aika was in twice. An apparition of Saki was there – not her Shadow – as was one of Adachi. "What's this about, anyway?" Saki demanded. "Didn't you call me in for more questions?"

The fake Adachi stepped quickly toward her, and she stepped back toward the TV. "Well, we'll get to that," he said. "But you know, I saw you this afternoon." He smirked and put one hand on her cheek while running his fingers through her hair with the other. "You were getting pretty cozy with that Namatame."

Saki jerked out of his grasp and slapped him. "S-Stay away from me!"

"Huh…" the fake Adachi muttered. "So I'm not good enough for you? Well, I know how to deal with girls like you…"

"N-No!" Saki cried.

Aika squeezed her eyes shut. Though she couldn't see what was going on, she could tell Adachi was doing the same thing to Saki that he did to Mayumi.

"God, these high school girls today," the fake Adachi ranted. "This world's gone straight to shit. When I was in school, I wasn't allowed to do anything but study my ass off… I was supposed to be the best of the best, and instead they stick me in the boonies… But I guess I got this sweet power to make up for it." He chuckled. "Life's not so bad after all." Without warning, he stuck his head inside the TV. "Get on your knees and beg, and maybe I'll let you out!" He stepped away from the TV, laughing cruelly. "Like that'll happen."

The apparitions disappeared, and Aika finally reopened her eyes. "It was easier the second time," the real Adachi sneered. "High school girls are thinner, y'know? Lighter."

"You son of a bitch!" Yosuke practically growled.

"C'mon, give me a break," Adachi said with a deranged smirk. "I didn't know it was dangerous inside the TV. It's not like I was _trying_ to kill them. I mean, I'm sure _they_ hit on Namatame, not the other way around. A council secretary will one day rise to power himself. Mayumi and that high schooler were just gold digging. They got exactly what they deserved. I didn't do anything wrong at all."

"Shut the hell up!" Yosuke exploded. "You knew from what happened to Mayumi Yamano that people die in here!"

Adachi sighed. "So what if I knew?"

"I'll bet you tricked Namatame too, didn't you?" Chie demanded.

"Nah," Adachi said carelessly. "He called the police in the middle of the night after they found that Saki girl's body. The rest of the force had their hands full with the double homicide, and it happened to be me who took the call."

"Namatame said the police refused to take him seriously," Naoto said. "You were responsible for that, then."

"Oh, quite the contrary," Adachi replied. "If anyone else had taken the call, sure, but I actually believed him, y'know? I just oh so subtly dropped the hint, and the rest is history." He laughed. "Isn't that amazing? Of all the people who could've received Namatame's call, it ended up being me. And he completely bought into his vision of this world. The more people you guys saved, the more he'd kidnap… Both sides had the best of intentions, so the game of cat and mouse would never end."

"You gotta be shittin' me!" Kanji yelled.

"Why?" Yukiko demanded. "What reasons could you have for doing that?"

"None, really," Adachi replied carelessly. "It was fun."

"You murdered people just for the fun of it?" Chie shrieked.

"C'mon, all I did was put people in there," Adachi tried reasoning. "And that Kubo kid? That was fun, too."

"Then you mean to say that Mitsuo Kubo's disappearance was your doing as well?" Naoto asked. "I _did_ sense something odd in his course of action. If he had special powers and wanted attention, why resort to a regular copycat crime? But that wasn't the case. Kubo had no such powers. In fact, he was thrown in by you, correct?"

"It'd been a while since I last put omeone in the TV, so I really got a kick out of that one," Adachi sneered.

"How come Mitsuo didn't say anything about you?" Chie asked.

Adachi chuckled. "I just led him to a room at the station with a TV, switched off the lights, and did it while he was still startled. As long as he didn't see me push him in and no one else did either, no one else would either… even if he survived. C'mon, I'm a detective. I can put things together."

"Th-The police station?" Rise whimpered.

"Yeah, he turned himself in," Adachi continued. "The police were desperate to pin it on anyone, and if the kid really did it, they might have announced the case was closed. And if that happened, Namatame would stop 'saving' people. I couldn't let that happen, or the game would be over. That's why I told the others I sent him home. I came up with the idea to put him inside the TV on the spot."

"This isn't a damn game," Naoto practically snarled. "These are people's lives you're talking about!"

"But then you guys interfered, and Kubo was arrested again, and everyone acted like he was the true culprit all along," Adachi said, glaring at everyone. "It worked out in the end, though, 'cause Namatame kept saving people. I guess the guy started do develop some messiah complex, huh? What an idiot."

"How dare you?" Yosuke whispered, his voice shaking with rage. "How dare you murder people for such a stupid reason? You bastard! I'll never forgive you!"

"You can keep your forgiveness," Adachi shot back.

"Then why'd you try to kill Aika, huh?" Yosuke demanded. "Was what you did to her just a _game_ to you too?"

"Oh, Aika-chan?" Adachi asked almost absentmindedly. "Well, isn't it obvious? She knew too much."

"Wh-What?" Yukiko gasped. "B-But how could…?" But before Yukiko could say another word, more apparitions were back – this time, of Adachi and Aika.

Only this time, Adachi was the one by the TV screen, with Aika behind him. He leaned in toward the TV, so close that his nose was almost touching the screen. "Oh hey, so that Midnight Channel thing's legit, huh? So Nanako-chan's my soulmate? That's weird…"

Aika's apparition stood frozen on the spot. "Nanako… she…" The apparition shook her head furiously. "Adachi-san, I need to borrow your phone."

Adachi turned to face her. "Huh? Why?" Aika took one step forward, and Adachi took one step back. But he seemed to have overestimated the distance between the TV and himself, as his hand became partially submerged in it.

The shock was instantaneous as Aika's apparition gave a shrill gasp. "Y-You… You can do it too…"

"Huh?" Adachi's apparition turned to look at the TV, and his expression shifted into what the real Adachi wore now. "Oh. That."

"B-But…" the fake Aika stammered. "_How_?"

The fake Adachi smirked. "How indeed?" He stepped threateningly toward Aika, who stepped back until her back was against the wall. His finger traced the edge of her jaw, and his hand settled under her chin, which he propped up so that she could look into his eyes. "Cute little Aika-chan… What am I going to do with you? When will you ever learn to mind your own business?"

"It was you," the fake Aika whispered. "You were the one who sent those warning letters."

The fake Adachi's smirk widened. "Oh yeah? Where's your proof?" He put his hands on the fake Aika's shoulders and pressed his forehead to hers. The real Aika couldn't stop shaking, though she forced herself to keep watching. "Okay, then. I'll humor you, _Aika-chan_, since you can be annoyingly _persistent_. Yes, I sent those letters."

"S-So you're the one who murdered—"

"'Murdered' is such a _strong_ word, don't you think? It'd imply that they're my _victims_. I prefer the term _test subjects_. And do you know why I'm telling you this, Aika-chan?" He leaned in close and whispered n her ear: "Because you won't remember _any of it_."

The real Aika wanted to close her eyes, but she forced herself to watch the way Adachi so effortlessly lifted her into the air, so easily threw her – not even pushed her, but _threw her_ – into the TV. She sank to her knees, not even bothering to watch the apparitions disappear, as the real Adachi smirked at her. "I got you good, didn't I, Aika-chan?"

And, for that moment, she felt… dirty, almost. Even though Saki and Mayumi had it so much worse… "Shut the hell up!" Yosuke yelled. "How… How could you…" He let out a horrible scream and charged toward Adachi, brandishing his swords.

"Yosuke-senpai, wait!" Rise cried. But then Yosuke sliced one of his swords downward – right through Adachi. At that, Adachi's body flickered. "This isn't his real body! The real Adachi is somewhere else."

"But this guy feels different from an ordinary Shadow," Teddie said. "It doesn't seem like he's going berserk."

"Wow, you can tell that much?" Adachi asked with fake astonishment. "This me is just around to greet you guys and thank you for wasting your time by chasing me in here. I'd say this world has taken a real shine to me… I feel like it's given me everything I ever wanted. And the monsters don't attack me at all. Maybe they can tell we have the same goal?" He chuckled darkly. "By the end of the year, Inaba will disappear completely into the fog. Soon, this place will be reality. I'll be in this world, so if you want me, come and get me. This world has a mind of its own. We'll see which of us it favors."

"Keep your bullshit to yourself!" Kanji yelled. "It's about time you shut the hell up. We'll finish this right now!" He threw a punch at Adachi, only for the detective to disappear.

Adachi's voice echoed through the room. "What a chump… Didn't I just tell you the real me is somewhere else? I'll be expecting you all… We'll put an end to this."

"Get back here, you!" Chie yelled. But it was too late – Adachi was long gone.

"Aika!" Yosuke yelled, rushing to her side. "Are you okay?"

"I-I…" Aika mumbled.

Then, Yosuke trapped her in a tight hug. "It's okay. You're safe now."

And, slowly, Aika stopped shaking. "I-I'm okay now…" she said after a while. Yosuke didn't let her go, and she strongly suspected that it was more for his own comfort than for her own. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm her still frazzled nerves.

"It appears that Adachi was rather confident that you wouldn't remember his attempt to murder you, Senpai," Naoto said.

"But that stuff he said…" Yukiko said. "About how Inaba will disappear into the fog… Does that mean this world and the real world are merging, somehow?"

"It felt like…" Rise mumbled. "… he's gained some strong power after coming here."

"Not only that…" Teddie interjected. "Maybe he got taken over by that power."

"So this world's gonna engulf the real world by the end of this year?" Chie asked.

"The people in town are acting weird," Teddie said. "It's like the Shadows that emerged from them went berserk. If the fog gets even thicker and this town is completely shut off from the outside world… Then… the other side might become full of Shadows, like over here."

"You mean…" Rise said slowly. "Everyone's gonna turn into Shadows?"

"Damn it…" Yosuke muttered. "Damn that bastard! Why…? We went through so much to get here… and now it turns out that he was just pulling our strings this whole time?"

Aika slipped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest.. "No more…"

Yosuke sighed, resting his head on top of hers. "Yeah… It's about time we finished this. I don't want to feel this way ever again."

"There's nowhere else we can go from here," Rise said, "so why don't we just train?"

"Yeah!" Chie agreed. "Hey Yosuke, Aika, Yukiko, remember how we were with Kanji's Shadow? We need to be that prepared! We need to be even _more _prepared than that! Then we can smash his stupid smug face in!"

"Why don't we start right now?" Yukiko suggested with a smile. "We're already here."

"Aika, can we go to the shopping district area?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah," Aika replied, already knowing what he wanted to do. "Of course. You want to see her, don't you?"

Yosuke smiled wistfully. "Now that I know what actually happened, I _have_ to see her."

"Saki-senpai's Shdaow?" Chie asked. "Okay. The rest of us will butt out, since we didn't know her all that well."

"Okay," Rise said. "We'll wait at the entrance. Be careful, you guys."

* * *

Saki Konishi's Shadow was waiting for them, sitting on the countertop with her legs crossed, and she rolled her eyes when she saw Yosuke trailing closely behind Aika. "Sheesh. The first time you show your face here in weeks, and you bring _him_ along." She gave Yosuke a careless wave. "Long time no see, Hana-chan."

Yosuke stopped dead in his tracks. "S-Senpai…"

They'd been holding hands as they walked together, neither of them wanting to let go, and Aika finally released his hand and faced Saki head on. "We know who killed you," she said confidently.

"Yeah, I know too," Saki replied. "I finally figured it out. I was gonna tell you, but you never showed up."

"S-Sorry…" Aika mumbled. "I just… got caught up in stuff. But now I know exactly how you feel."

Saki raised one eyebrow. "Say _what_?"

"Because the same person tried to kill _me_," Aika explained.

"And you didn't die because Hana-chan saved you?" Saki asked, crossing her arms.

"They all did," Aika whispered.

Saki smirked. "That's good, then. If you let her die in here, Hana-chan, I would've haunted you every time you came in here for the rest of your life."

"I wasn't just going to abandon her here!" Yosuke burst out. "I… I couldn't let the same thing that happened to you happen to her…"

"Hmph…" Saki flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Wish you could've saved _me_ from that asshole like that."

Yosuke sighed and stared at the floor. "I wish I could've done that too…"

"Well…" Saki hopped down from the countertop. "I won't keep you here for too long. You better not lose to that creep, you got that?"

"We won't," Aika promised.

"Hana-chan?" Saki snapped her fingers in front of his face a few times. "You there?"

"Did you mean it?" Yosuke whispered.

"Huh…?"

"What you said," Yosuke clarified. "About me being a pain in the ass… Did you mean it?"

Saki looked away. "Yes…"

Yosuke sighed. "I'm such an idiot…" he muttered to himself as he turned away from the dead girl. "Come on, Aika. We need to start training."

"Y-Yeah…" Aika mumbled. "U-Um… I-I'll try visiting later, S-Senpai…"

"Wait," Saki said sharply. "I said you were a pain in the ass. I never said I _hated_ you." Yosuke froze on the spot, but didn't say anything. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you _never_ saw this coming. You had your Shadows, and I had mine. Hell, I'm one of them right now. Yeah, I was pissed off about everything, I never liked you the way you wanted me to, and that just added to everything." Her eyes flickered over to Aika. "But what was it that she said? There's lots of sides to us, and Shadows are just some of them – but it's not all that we are." Saki suddenly snorted in laughter. "Well, now it's all that _I_ am, but it's a little too late for me." She put her hand on Yosuke's shoulder. "Listen to me, Hana-chan. No… Yosuke. I don't hate you. I never did."

"I'm so sorry I couldn't save you," Yosuke whispered.

"I'm glad you didn't let the same thing happen to anyone else," Saki said. "You've changed, Hana-chan. I'm impressed." She turned around. "Now go. Get out of here. If you get your ass handed to you by that creepy detective, I'll have the old me haunt you for all eternity."

"Thank you, Senpai," Yosuke said sincerely, bowing his head. He grabbed Aika's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Let's go."

* * *

Aika stared up at her test results, with Yosuke standing next to her with one arm around her and Chie and Yukiko standing a little ways away. "I don't believe this…" she mumbled.

"Hey, at least you passed," Yosuke pointed out.

"Yeah, barely," Aika grumbled. "A few more points off, and I would've failed!"

"But you were sick, and you had a lot of personal stuff going on," Yukiko pointed out.

"Oh, come on, Aika," Chie said. "Relax, already! At least you don't have to take _make-up_ _exams_."

"When do you want to start studying for those, Chie?" Yukiko asked. "I'll help you!"

"I wanna kick some Adachi butt before we start studying," Chie said, slamming her fist into the palm of her hand.

Aika stared down at her feet. "We're… really ending this once and for all, aren't we?"

"Yeah!" Chie said cheerfully. "We can do it!"

"But what about… after?" Aika asked.

"We'll still hang out and stuff," Yosuke assured her. "We just won't have the case always hanging over our head."

"You promise?"

Yosuke hugged her closer to him. "Wow, you're really worried about this, aren't you?"

"Come on, Aika!" Chie said. "You, me, Yukiko, Rise-chan, and Naoto-kun still need to have our sleepover!"

"And we should definitely spend a night at the inn again," Yukiko said.

"Since break's coming up, maybe we should all go skiing!" Yosuke suggested. "It'll be like that time we all went to the beach, remember?"

Aika giggled. "Okay…"

"Don't worry," Yosuke said. "We're not going to leave you, even after the case is over."

"Okay…" Aika sighed. "Lunch break's almost over… So we're finishing this today, okay? We can't drag this out any longer."

"Okay!" everyone affirmed.

* * *

"Adachi-san!" Aika cried as they ran through his strange red world.

Sure enough, the detective was standing there, smirking at them, and he looked so _normal_ that Aika almost forgot that he was the true culprit behind everything and that he tried to kill her at one point. "Wow, I'm surprised you guys made it this far."

"Allow me to confirm the crimes you've committed thus far," Naoto said. "You had suspicions that this world was dangerous, yet you threw Mayumi Yamano into the TV. Knowing full well that Ms. Yamano died here, you did the same to Saki Konishi. Not only that, but you duped Namatame into taking over your murder attempts, while you watched like a spectator at a game. When the disappeared stopped dying, you sent a warning letter to ensure more victims. Even when a copycat killer arose, you had the gall to eliminate a suspect under investigation. And on top of that, you tried to murder your partner's niece, someone who _trusted_ you, because you believed she knew too much. Two people died in the last six months, and a young girl is in critical condition… But that's not all. If at any turn something had gone wrong, many more would have succumbed… All for some foolish _excitement_, like a criminal reveling in the chaos he creates!"

"Yeah?" Adachi retorted. "So what's your point? All I did was put people in here. It's the world that really kills them, isn't it? This world reflects people's thoughts. Which… Oh dear… Does that mean the real culprits are everyone on the outside, including you?"

"To hell with that!" Yosuke yelled. "You did that stuff knowing full well that those people were gonna die! If that's not a crime, then what is?"

Adachi just laughed at him. "You're so self-righteous."

"How can you say that?" Chie shrieked. "Aren't you a police officer? Out of everything you could've been, didn't you specifically choose to join the police?"

"Don't make me laugh," Adachi replied carelessly. "Just because someone joins the police doesn't make them some sort of 'agent of justice'. Y'know why I applied? So that I'd legally be able to carry a gun. You'd be surprised how many are like that. I thought it would be fun too, but to tell the truth, that was a wash. Everyone around me was such an idiot… I made one tiny mistake, and they all got on my case and sent me here to Nowheresville as punishment. I was bored shitless and wondering what to do next… when I discovered this power."

Aika didn't miss the way Yosuke's body seemed to stiffen. The similarities really were uncanny… "For cryin' out loud…" Kanji muttered. "Why a bastard like you?"

"Why a weak, pathetic little girl who can't do anything on her own like Aika-chan?" Adachi shot back. Aika wanted to scream. "I guess this was just our reward for having to put up with this shithole. I did that stuff 'cause I could. And it got interesting, so I watched."

"That's your reason?" Yukiko yelled. "You can't be serious! You really don't care what happens to our world?"

"Let's be honest," Adachi said. "There's nothing great about the real world, is there? It's just dull and annoying as hell. No one accepts that's the way things are. They're just stuck with it 'cause they can't deny it either. Those who actually succeed in life… they just happen to be born with the magic ticket called 'talent'. If you don't have it, you can either accept or deny that fact until you die. That's your only choice. Once you realize that, all you have left in life is despair. The ultimate game over. Wouldn't it be better if that kind of reality was wiped away?"

"That's complete BS!" Rise cried.

"Brats like you are so damn naïve…" Adachi muttered. "You piss me off. Listen – you might have hopes and dreams right now, but that's only because you know nothing of reality. One day, you'll see. You'll be faced with the boring reality that boxes you in, no matter where you go."

"You're the only boring thing here!" Kanji shot back. "If you wanna disappear, go ahead! Stop dragging us into it!"

Adachi huffed in annoyance. "Stop yelling, punk. I understand that you're all afraid and gotta act tough to cover it up, but geez. I'm telling you all this based on my own experience in life. Think about it for a second – once everyone turns into Shadows, they'll still keep on living, oblivious to all the things around them. So how's that different from the way it is now? No, this'll make things much easier for everyone."

"Easier?" Yosuke echoed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"C'mon!" Adachi said as he started to pace back and forth. "How many people out there actually think about what's real, or what's right and wrong? Next to none, I bet. It's useless to think about those things in the first place. You don't get anything out of facing reality, and there's no way to change it anyway. What's the point in brooding over things you can't change? It's better to just ignore them and believe only what you want to believe in life."

Aika clenched her fists tightly, and she finally found her voice. "So… because you didn't get what you wanted out of your life, you think everyone else thinks the same way that you do?"

"Ah, Aika-chan, so glad you could join us," Adachi said mockingly.

"So you're just frustrated with your own life and want to take it out on the whole world?" Aika continued. "Is that it?"

"Nobody wants a world like that!" Chie yelled. "It's just you, dumbass!"

"Don't you remember what it was like when your Shadow came out?" Adachi sneered. "It must've been enjoying life far more than you!" He looked downward, and his body was cloaked in a dark blue aura.

"Adachi-san!" Aika cried as she tried to run to him, but Yosuke grabbed her wrist to hold her back.

"Be careful!" Teddie warned the group. "I dunno what's happening!"

"You all saw Shadows as mere monsters, right?" Adachi demanded, his voice coming out distorted and his eyes glowing yellow. "These things move on pure instinct! They go wild because you defy them! You annoying little brats are the ones who aren't wanted in the new world!"

"Speak for yourself!" Yukiko snapped. "Living is too painful for you, but you don't want to die… Of course no one would understand! It makes no sense! You're just throwing a tantrum like a kid who can't have his way!"

"People can't live alone," Naoto said solemnly. "If you give in and sever your ties to human society, it will naturally become hard to live in it. Yet you refuse to face life and admit your fault, running from your own humanity like a coward. And though you claim to find life troublesome, you caused nothing but trouble for others! Your twisted logic is that of an immature, egotistic brat!"

"Sh-Shut up!" Adachi yelled. "Stop trying to act so tough! You guys can't even stand on your own unless you deny everything I said!" He clutched his head, as if he was in pain.

"Adachi-san!" Aika called again, but Yosuke was still holding her back.

"S-Stupid teenagers!" Adachi ranted. "You have no idea what kind of shit I've been through!"

"'Favored by the world' my ass…" Yosuke practically growled. "I'm gonna say it flat out: you're just a worthless criminal!"

Adachi screamed as darkness swirled around him. "We have to save him!" Aika yelled. "I think the Shadows might be affecting him!"

"Don't try to rationalize his actions, Senpai," Naoto warned. "That man is a monster, and he will pay for his crimes."

"Senpai, he tried to kill you," Kanji reminded her. "No matter how close you guys were before, you _can't_ forgive him for that now."

Adachi looked almost deranged, hunched over and scowling as he was. If she weren't so ready to fight, Aika would have probably cried for him. So instead, she slammed her rod into her Persona card. _Delibitate. _"Come, Kaguya!"

And, with a few more attacks from everyone else, the battle ended quickly. "D-Damn…" Adachi groaned. "This is lame… Oh well. Our world's gonna disappear soon, no matter what. I didn't have anywhere to go back to anyways…"

Aika smiled bitterly. _Practically family, huh?_

"Everyone's gonna become Shadows…" Adachi laughed, then started convulsing.

"Adachi-san!" Aika cried. His body turned pitch black, and he rose into the air. "Wh-What happened to you…?"

"All humans will become Shadows," he said in a deep, emotionless voice. "And I shall descend upon the united world… as the master of order."

"Guys…" Rise said quietly. "This isn't Adachi! It's someone completely different!"

"Both this world and yours will soon be enclosed in a fog that never lifts," said the floating being above them. "It will be the peaceful world that mankind has longed for. I… am Ameno-sagiri. One who rules the fog. One awakened by mankind's desires. Do what you will, but your world's erosion cannot be stopped. It is an inevitability. You played your part well, stirring up the will of the masses into madness. But that will soon come to an end. Mankind will soon become Shadows and live on in the darkness of the fog, oblivious of their reality."

"What the hell are you?" Yosuke yelled. "Why are you doing all this?"

"I am the one who shepherds humans to their true desires," Ameno-sagiri continued. Though their hearts longed for peace, it could never be attained. So they tore down the wall between image and reality. Indeed, this is the outcome desired by mankind. And mankind's desires are my desires. That is why I decided to expand this world."

"Y-You're saying you're the one who created this nasty-ass world?" Kanji stuttered.

"This is part of the sea of unconsciousness that exists within human hearts," Ameno-sagiri explained. "A hollow forest born from bloated desire and false imagery. Humans view the world as they see fit. They wish not for truth, but rather prefer the undesirables be hidden in fog."

"It's just like what Philemon said!" Aika gasped. "Consciousness and unconsciousness are drawing closer together!"

"Still, humans fear what they cannot see," Ameno-sagiri continued. "That brief yearning for truth becomes a ray of light which breaks the fog and torments the Shadows."

"That's why they attack and kill whoever's nearby at the time…" Yukiko mused. "Then… this place isn't simply affected by people's hearts. It actually exists inside them?"

"Mankind abandoned its pursuit of the truth," Ameno-sagiri said, "placing itself in the depth of chaos and falsehood. Thus, my strength has grown, and the fog will not lift. Your world will be engulfed by the hollow forest."

"Seeing only what they want to see…" Aika said quietly. "So you're responsible for the Midnight Channel too?"

"So that's why those who got famous suddenly appeared on the Midnight Channel, one after another!" Rise gasped. "It was all in people's minds!"

"So the Midnight Channel we all saw in Namatame's hospital room…" Naoto mused. "That wasn't Namatame's true intentions at all. We let ourselves be deluded by our own blind rage, and…"

"We saw only what we wanted to see…" Aika whispered.

"But you all…" Ameno-sagiri said slowly. "You all mastered your own Shadows, and you currently use them as weapons. A new development in human consciousness? Perhaps. That must be tested." And with that, he disappeared, and a large sphere that looked suspiciously like an eyeball appeared in its place.

"C-Come on!" Aika called. "Let's go!" Everyone summoned their respective Personae and charged at Ameno-sagiri at once, but the eyeball barely reacted. Suddenly, Shadows flew everywhere, knocking everyone off their feet.

Aika's chest exploded with pain as the Shadows struck her and lifted her into the air so that she was eye-level with Ameno-sagiri. "Why are you so intent on resisting?" he asked almost menacingly. "What can one tiny human hope to accomplish?"

Pain radiated through her body. Her friends might have been screaming for her, but she couldn't hear them. "Y-You're wrong… I… I'm not alone… W-We won't…" It felt like the sphere of Shadows keeping her afloat was crushing her. "W-We won't… give into you…!" The sphere of Shadows drew closer and closer to Ameno-sagiri, so close that it was almost fading into the eyeball. Aika's vision darkened. _Is this really… the end?_

"Aika!" she heard Yosuke cry, as if from far away.

Then it was as if she was being forcibly pulled away from Ameno-sagiri, and soon, her body was trapped under two large arms. _S-Susanoo? _She squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them to clear her vision. Susanoo loosened his grip on her slightly, and she called her Persona card to her. She drew it close to her chest and crushed it with all the strength she could muster. _Per…so…na… _"Kaguya!" One Morning Star was all it would take to finish off Ameno-sagiri – her friends had gotten him down to that level at the very least. Kaguya complied, and Ameno-sagiri was engulfed in white light.

And then, it was over. Aika all but collapsed to her knees when Susanoo finally released her, but she didn't miss the way Ameno-sagiri was staring at her. "I see…" he said slowly. "Your powers are strong. Power comes from the heart. You have proven to me human potential. Very well. I will lift the fog from the place to which you will return. Mankind's desires are my desires. If mankind so wishes, I will return at any time. I am always at your side, watching…"

"Well, don't wait up!" Teddie said. "We'll keep that from happening, no matter what!"

"Time will show the path humanity takes," Ameno-sagiri said simply before fading into the light.

And, as if on cue, Adachi collapsed where Ameno-sagiri was before. "Adachi-san!" Aika cried, crawling over to him because she didn't have the strength to stand.

"You think…" Chie said slowly, "… it was controlling Adachi-san?"

"Who can say?" Naoto asked. "I believe it was at least partially his own intention as well."

"A-Are you okay?" Aika asked worriedly, helping him sit up.

"S-So that's how it is, huh…?" Adachi said faintly. "Fine. Live however you want. If you think… that you have the power to change the future… then go right ahead."

"Everyone has the power to do that," Yosuke said solemnly.

Adachi laughed bitterly. "Get out of here. The Shadows will finish me off."

Aika shook her head firmly. "We're not leaving you."

"If we leave you here dying…" Yosuke said in a low voice, "… and a dead body eventually appears, then what? What does that accomplish for anyone? Your stupid game's over. We're taking you back. Live and face your punishment. That's how it works in our world." And with that, he helped Aika prop up Adachi as they both stood up.

Adachi laughed weakly. "Isn't it funny, Aika-chan? We both have the same power, but things turned out so differently for us…"

"Power is power," Aika said simply. "It's what you do with it that matters."

"Yeah…" Adachi sighed. "Maybe if I'd been more like you, things wouldn't have gone this way…"

* * *

Adachi sat with his back propped up against a wall at Junes, struggling to breathe. "Are you okay, Adachi-san?" Aika asked concernedly. It seemed like such a normal thing to say, like Adachi hadn't committed all those murders, like Adachi hadn't tried to kill her, like he was still the same detective she'd gotten to know over the past year. And, more than anything, she felt sad and disappointed that he, of all people, was the true culprit.

Adachi laughed weakly. "Still care about me, after everything I did, Aika-chan?" he asked.

Aika looked away. "It's hard to _stop_ caring…"

Suddenly, a police officer walked up to Naoto. "Greetings, Shirogane-san," he said. "We got word from Detective Dojima. He's wanted on suspicion of murdering Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi, and for being the cause of the disappearance of Aika Nakamura, correct?"

Naoto nodded, her face expressionless. "Correct."

"Understood," the police officer said. "We have an ambulance waiting downstairs. Should we have them bring the stretcher up here? Detective Dojima assumed that one would be necessary. He wanted the suspect to be carefully taken into protective custody. It… Well, it was a personal favor to him."

Naoto sighed. "Then yes, please have them bring up the stretcher."

"Understood," the police officer said once more before leaving once and for all.

The next several minutes passed by in a blur – Adachi was taken away by an ambulance, and the group was herded over to the police station for questioning. And, once again, Aika was the last to be questioned, only this time, instead of just Yosuke, everyone was waiting for her. "You guys…"

Yosuke smiled as he grabbed her hand. "Come on. We want to show you something." He, along with the rest of the group, led her outside. Aika looked up at the sky and gasped. Stars twinkled in the cloudless sky, and there was a fresh layer of snow on the ground. It was still cold, but not excruciatingly so, like it was the night they almost indicted Namatame as the killer. Yosuke put one arm around her and hugged her close to him. "It's finally over…"

Aika leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Thank you. Thank you so much…"

"C'mon, don't get all cutesy just yet!" Chie said. "Everyone, hands in!"

Everyone complied, with varying ranges of confusion painted on their faces. "Uh…" Kanji muttered. "What're we doing?"

"Ooh, what's this?" Teddie asked excitedly.

"Everyone ready?" Chie asked. "Let's go! We did it! Woohoo!" An awkward silence lapsed between them. "What the… Why didn't you guys say anything?"

"I think that was a little hard to get on the spot," Rise said sheepishly.

"Which part did you mean for us to say?" Naoto asked in all seriousness.

"The 'woohoo' part!" Chie cried.

"Can't we just do it over?" Kanji asked.

"Man, having to redo something like this kinda kills the fun of it…" Yosuke grumbled.

"But everyone does stuff like this in movies and manga and stuff!" Aika pointed out. "We have to do it too!"

Yosuke sighed. "All right, Chie. Do that weird call again."

"Not if you're gonna call it weird," Chie shot back.

"U-Um…" Naoto said uncertainly. "People are beginning to stare… I don't think we should stay like this for much longer."

"My hand's getting kind of sweaty," Rise complained.

"Okay, so let's just say 'woohoo' then," Aika said. "Okay?"

"Sheesh, you don't need to explain it again," Chie grumbled. "I'll start it. Okay, ready? Here goes… We did our best."

"Woohoo!" everyone cheered.

"Uh…" Yosuke piped up. "Aren't you supposed to do something like this _before_ you start something, not after?"

"Wh-Who cares?" Chie snapped.

Everyone just laughed at that – Yukiko for longer than the rest – and Aika just stared up at the clear sky, thankful that everything was finally over.

* * *

_OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS THERE'S ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT TO WRITE. AAAAAHHHHHHH. _

_Anyway, this chapter was just oodles and oodles of fun to write. And most of the Social Links got cameos in this too! Other than that, everything is pretty self-explanatory._

_Please review!_


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